December 2009
Keiran sat at the monitor banks, watching the GPS tracking blip on the screen to the left of her. Directly in front of her, 3 monitors showed live feed from traffic and security cameras near the warehouse where Batman was currently located. The cameras provided views of the police and emergency vehicles that had surrounded the warehouse where Scarecrow had led Batman.
Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow, had disappeared when Arkham Asylum and the Narrows had been devastated in the summer of 2007. He went underground and slowly built up a following, insulating himself with those who had been stuck in the Narrows, turning them into loyal followers or unwilling slaves. He never showed his face above ground, making it difficult to track him.
It was two days after Christmas and Scarecrow had decided to test the Batman-ridden waters of Gotham City again. He'd taken over the Gotham City Mall and unleashed a new version of his fear gas in the food court. The Bat Signal had flown across the sky and she and Bruce had raced to the underground lair, her to track the police scanners and monitors, him to get Scarecrow.
Scarecrow and his small group of armed men had taken off in armored vehicles, leading a high-speed chase to the abandoned warehouse. Keiran didn't like it. Something felt wrong. The release of the gas at the mall may have been to test a new sample, but it also succeeded in calling Batman out to a scenario Scarecrow had created, could control. This had trap written all over it.
'Batman,' she said into her com, 'this feels off. Why go there? It…it doesn't make any sense.'
'I agree,' she heard him growl in reply. She knew he was moving through the warehouse space, 'What's the status on the victims?' He was always concerned about the innocent victims of those he couldn't stop. It was one of the many things she admired about him. She looked at a different monitor reading off the information he requested.
'There were 27 victims total and all but three of them appear to be stabilizing. 24 of the victims had been vaccinated previously against the original version of the gas. It seemed to help them versus the effects of the new version. Medical personnel feel they will be able to recover with lots of fluid and bed rest.' She looked at another monitor with the information on the 3 patients who were currently in ICU, 'The other three patients, 2 women, 1 man, are experiencing severe sporadic seizures and violent hallucinations. Doctors are running tests on their blood to see what new additives may have been introduced to the formula. I've also created an order for a sample to be sent to a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises so that Lucius can run tests as well. '
'Good.' He said tersely.
'Satellite imaging is showing movement on the floor above you…and, ok – 4 bodies just entered into the room on your left, two more are heading down the stairs to your right. Prepare for company.' She said.
She watched the monitors, the satellite images blurring slightly as the bodies moved. The four bodies on Batman's left entered into the room.
'No,' she heard him growl.
She saw a flicker of energy, something bright flashed through the satellite image of the building, filling her with dread. 'Batman, get out of there! Something's happening, I…' she shouted into her com.
She heard the explosion in her ear violently loud. She pulled her com off for a second, blinking from the momentary pain. She heard Alfred come up behind her and turned towards him, seeing his silver aura start to swirl as it did when he was concerned for his charge.
'What is it?' Alfred asked her.
She shook her head, putting her com back on.
'Batman this is Oracle, what's your status?' she said.
Silence filled her com. She waited for a count of ten, feeling Alfred's concern filling the silence of the room. 'Oracle to Batman, do you copy?' she asked.
No response came. 'Oracle to Batman, do you read?' she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
'Miss Keiran, I…' Alfred started to speak.
She cut him off with her hand, silently apologizing to him for her rudeness as she tried to locate the magic in one of the talisman's she'd given Bruce for Christmas. It allowed her to sense him, no matter where he was, as long as he was alive. She'd made one for everyone she loved.
She'd begun her project after Tommy had gone to Hong Kong because a security alert he had placed on and email account of Oliver's had been triggered when someone had accessed the account from an internet café there. He hadn't told anyone where he was going he'd just taken his father's plane and left.
She and Bruce had been aware of the email account access. They'd remotely accessed the security cameras of the internet café and had found the footage to be scrubbed leading them to believe it had been a hack, but they'd kept the security alert active to track any additional attempts at accessing the account.
Tommy, not having the same skills and resources as Batman, had gone to the internet café himself and had been kidnapped by someone who had been hoping to lure Moira or Thea Queen to their location to trade for ransom. They'd been excited to kidnap the son of Malcolm Merlyn, CEO of Merlyn Global Group, but the police had arrived and rescued him.
That was the story Tommy told her when he'd unexpectedly visited for a few days right before Halloween. She'd been unable to work coms for those evenings, but when Tommy finally told her the whole story, she'd been glad he'd come to her. He'd left the next day, feeling better due to the healing magic she'd pulsed through him as he'd slept that night. She'd felt weak after, but had immediately gone to the penthouse after Tommy had left and told Bruce and Alfred the whole tale. Bruce had arranged for himself and Lucius to fly to Hong Kong the next day.
They'd returned with almost no additional information, not even a police record of Tommy's rescue, something all of them found strange. Bruce only spoke one word that he said he'd discovered: ARGUS. She'd asked him if he wanted her to research whatever ARGUS meant and he'd quickly said no. He'd told her to leave ARGUS alone, he would deal with them if need be. He'd made her promise, actually holding her hand, knowing she'd be able to feel the very high level of concern she could see reflecting in his eyes. She'd promised immediately, shocked by how worried he was about her, although she could relate. Her nights were a constant state of worry when he was patrolling while she was stuck behind a bank of monitors.
She could no longer worry about her loved ones and do nothing to protect them when she knew she had the means to do so within her. To that end, in secret, she'd purchased stones or objects that reflected the color of her loved one's aura and encased a small bit of her magic along with a small bit of their own aura that she magically removed from them into the selected item. It had been an exhausting process, completing it on her own in addition to all of her duties as Bruce's personal assistant, magical trainee and his monitor in the evenings, codenamed Oracle. She'd used a lot of her magical reserves, giving quite a bit of it away, but it was worth it.
Once a day, she pushed out a pulse with her magic to the various stones and objects she'd given away as Christmas gifts recharging the locations spells attached to her loved ones. It drained her a little more each day and she didn't know why. She'd never had problems with her magical reserves…until Tommy had told her the story about Oliver. She'd felt less pain talking about her lost lover with someone who had loved him as much as she had. For some reason, her magic had fizzled that night after she'd healed Tommy. She hadn't been able to do a spell for 24 hours after that.
At Thanksgiving, she'd gone home to Starling City. She'd felt better, normal again, for a few weeks after that, being around Tommy, McKenna and her mother. She'd felt a surge in her magic, but it didn't feel like it was at its usual strength.
Last week, her magic had begun to fizzle again, just as she was finishing her spells. For her mother, she'd made a locket with a photo them together on one side and a small turquoise stone pressed in on the other. For Tommy, Alfred and Lucius, she created watches with bands reflecting their auras of blue, silver and a bold orange-yellow. McKenna received bright orange-red stones on a gold anklet chain and for Bruce, she'd made three: a pair of cufflinks for dates and formal events with dark blue star sapphires, a watch for casual events with a dark blue band and a small, smooth, almost-flat sapphire stone that could be slipped into his utility belt, boot, glove, wherever he wanted when he was Batman.
Tonight, she could feel her magic was nowhere near a high reserve. Unfortunately, her options were limited. So, she reached out, searching for the dark blue stone and found it. He was alive. Relief flooded her, almost making her weep.
She stood quickly, 'He's alive Alfred, but that's all I can tell. Take over the coms,' she commanded him.
He obeyed, saying 'He'll be extremely unhappy to see you,' very matter-of-factly, as he sat at the monitor banks, putting his own com to his ear.
'I don't care,' she said to him, standing in front of the mirror where she practiced glamor spells. She focused and watched her hair grow down past her shoulder blades, becoming a dark auburn color. She concentrated further, ignoring the dull ache that was beginning in her chest, instead of the normal warmth her magic use provided. Her outfit changed from her jeans and button-down shirt to a sleeveless black top, a pair of black leather pants and black leather, low-heeled boots. A pair of aviator sunglasses in her hands and two baton holsters, one strapped to either thigh completed her look. She chuckled, even as her mind screamed at her to hurry. Her appearance was very similar to that of her favorite spy. Eat your heart out, Sydney Bristow, she thought.
She grabbed her batons from the weapons case and put them in their holsters as she ran to Bruce's motorcycle, a red MV Agusta F4 1078. Alfred opened the door to the shipping yards as she straddled the bike and revved the engine. She put on her sunglasses and shot into the night.
She followed the magic of the talisman, pulsing out more magic to him, hoping she could reach him before any harm came to him. She sped the bike through the snowy streets. The ache in her chest started to feel like ice, solidifying there. 'Any response from Batman?' she asked through her com.
'No, only static.' She heard Alfred reply.
She increased her speed, navigating via people's auras, shoving them aside telekinetically as gently as she could while steering the bike through the slick streets. She cleared path after path, the ache in her heart increasing rapidly.
She sped through an intersection seeing her destination ahead of her. Police barricades surrounded the area. Officers called out to her, commanding her to stop. As gently as she could, she used her magic again to clear her path, the pain growing more severe each time. She saw a straight route, leading to an incline before an open window on the first floor. Officers fired shots at her as she sped forward, ignoring their warnings. She used her telekinesis to shield herself as she revved the engine and jumped the bike through the window, skidding to a halt in the open expanse of space on the first floor, just barely able to keep the bike from crashing.
She climbed off the bike, heading towards a crumbling section of the building in the opposite corner of the space where she'd come through the window. She could see the outlines of two men through their cloudy auras, one red and the other brown, as they came around the still-crumbling wall of what appeared to be an office, shooting at her.
She ducked behind the bike, shielding her body. She centered herself, calling on her magic. She waited for a break in the gunshots and stood, pulsing bursts of energy at the two attackers, knocking 'brown' off his feet so he fell, hitting his head on the floor, his body lying still where it had fallen. The other shooter, 'red,' ducked behind a second crumbling wall, avoiding the effect of her charge. Before he could start shooting again, she leapt over the bike, running at full-speed to where he was hiding.
'Red' came back around the wall, but she was already there, pulling her baton from her left leg and cracking it down on the wrist of the hand that held his gun. He screamed in pain as he dropped the gun and she blasted him backwards with a magic-enhanced strike to his chest. He slammed into the wall and then fell like a sack of potatoes to the floor, lying still next to his fallen friend. She felt her knees start to give, almost dropping to the ground herself.
'Oracle? What is your status? You're GPS just wavered in and out.' She heard Alfred ask over her com, concern in his voice.
'I'm…fine,' she replied through gritted teeth, holstering her baton again and slowly walking to the area of the room where an obvious cave in had occurred. She passed by the office and saw four men tied there, hanging from the ceiling, all of them dazed. They were dressed as Batman. Impostors, she realized. They appeared to be unharmed, so she moved forward towards the caved in area of the room. She went around the crumbling wall her attackers had come from and it was there she saw him.
Batman was trapped. A cement beam had fallen across his legs and a length of rebar held him secured to the ground having gone through his shoulder before anchoring in the cement beneath his body. She saw his eyes were open. A trickle of blood slowly dripped down from the corner of his mouth.
'You…shouldn't be here,' he growled at her, his voice more dangerous than normal. She saw the look in his eyes, knew he was furious at her for coming to help him, regardless of the pain he felt. She didn't care.
He didn't get it. He didn't understand how important he had become to this city, how important he was to Alfred…to her. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose someone else she loved, especially not another man in her life who mattered so much to her heart. She'd already lost her father and Oliver, had almost lost Tommy. She wasn't losing Bruce Wayne, too.
She ignored him and raised her hand towards the cement beam across his legs. She channeled the magic, the dagger in her chest savagely strong now, tearing through her as cold saturated her body, but she held herself up on her own. The beam moved across the room, crashing into the wall opposite him, freeing his legs. Next she focused on the rebar and slid it out and into a pile near the cement beam. He cried out sharply as the rebar started moving, but kept still until she was finished.
She knelt next to him, placing her hand to his face, his only exposed skin. For her healing magic to work, she had to have skin to skin contact.
'Stop. You can barely stand,' he gasped.
She connected to him and took his pain into her, adding it to her own, feeling his injuries become hers. She wasn't concerned, that was how her healing power worked. The injuries became hers and he was healed again. She would heal within seconds through her own magic, a natural side effect of channeling an immortal Goddess's powers, or so she thought.
She looked down and smiled, seeing he had healed. She gasped, as she felt the rebar wound open on her shoulder and looked down. It wasn't healing. She couldn't breathe. Rapidly the pain in her heart became unbearable, her body began to shudder, her legs buckled as the pain radiated through her and she fell, unable to stand any longer.
'Oracle!' Batman cried out and she felt strong arms surround her, stopping her fall to the cement floor. She could hear the police starting to make their way into the building. She could feel her glamor disappearing.
'Can't…breathe…,'she whispered to him, grimacing from the pain, clenching her teeth as she forced each word out. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She felt like she was dying. She could see blood on his gloves and knew it was hers. His face moved into her vision and his eyes bore into hers, their green irises cold with fear.
'You shouldn't have come,' he said to her, cradling her to him, 'why didn't you stay where you were safe?'
'…couldn't…lose…you…'she said to his fuzzy image as the world went dark around her.
_ Bruce Wayne stared down at the female form lying in his bed. It had been almost twenty-four hours since Keiran Flannery had come to his rescue. Twenty-four hours since she had crumpled like a leaf into his arms, her appearance flickering from her dark disguise to her normal light features, a dagger of fear slicing directly into his heart. Twenty-four hours he hadn't been able to sleep or leave her side.
As soon as she'd fallen, he'd shrouded her in his cape as he'd heard the police begin moving through the building, taking only a second to shoot a small explosive charge at the motorcycle, detonating it before the officers came close enough to be hurt by the destruction. He'd needed to eliminate the possibility of it being traced back to Bruce Wayne. Then he'd shot a zip line to the ceiling, holding her shivering body to him as they'd risen to the sky.
He kept calling her name, but she didn't respond. When he got her back to the Tumbler, he saw that she was direly pale. She was losing blood. The circles under her eyes were darker than they had been the night she'd come to him to ask for his help and she was covered in sweat. She continued to shiver as he buckled her into the seat next to him and raced back to the shipping yard lair.
When they'd arrived, Alfred had carried her to the back seat of the car while he'd quickly removed his gear. Her wound had finally begun to show signs of healing. The bleeding had slowed, but it was taking minutes, potentially hours to repair wounds that normally took seconds. He'd held her in the back seat, keeping pressure on the wound. He kept her as close as he could, his lips pressed to her temple whispering her name. In his mind he continued to say a silent prayer, wishing her to wake up. Her shivering worsened as her face contorted with renewed pain. She moaned, but still didn't wake.
He carried her up the secret entrance in the hotel that opened into his bedroom inside the penthouse. He gently laid her in his bed, the first place available and removed her shirt, inspecting her wound more thoroughly. It had finally closed. Her necklace glowed, but not with its normal intensity when she used magic. Its light still pulsed, but at a haunting and slow rate, long seconds going by between each surge, the light that emanated low and dull. Somehow she was healing, yet it was taking a toll on her. She still wouldn't wake up.
He stripped her to her underclothes and carried her into his bathroom. Fully clothed, he stood with her under the shower, trying to get her to wake up. She stopped shivering under the warm water, but her eyes remained closed. He held her tight to him, his forehead resting on hers. He pressed his lips to her forehead and whispered, 'Please wake up Keiran.'
She stirred, if only for a moment. He felt her head move back. He looked at her face and saw her eyes flutter. 'Bruce…' she said. She slurred the one word and then went limp in his arms again.
He carried her out of the shower. He dried her off quickly and removed her wet undergarments, averting his eyes as best he could. He put an old, loose t-shirt on her and laid her back in his bed. Alfred had changed the sheets, removing the ones stained with blood from the wound she had taken from him.
He looked out his windows into the dark sky. That had been last night. He'd been trying unsuccessfully since they'd returned to reach Zatanna. He was hoping that one of his messages would reach her. Bruce was aware that Alfred thought that they should bring her to a hospital. He didn't think they could do anything more for her than he could as her ailment was obviously magic-related. They were both very worried about his personal assistant.
He shook his head. That was wrong to label her as just his assistant. She had become so much more than that. Keiran Flannery had changed his life. She'd led him out of the dark and into the light again. She'd given him belief in people again. She'd given him hope.
Deciding that because of the prophecy he'd had no real choice in accepting her as a trainee, she'd worked harder than any person he'd ever met. She was determined to prove that his time with her would not be wasted. Zatanna had come every few weeks at first as Keiran had begun to realize how varied and infinite her magic could be.
Love was a curious emotion with many different aspects and elements. If Keiran thought about her power as an aspect of love, she could harness her magic to do her bidding. She could enhance her strength and speed as love makes you strong and love can move quickly. She could heal others because love could mend all wounds. If there was a trite saying about love, it could manifest into a power for her. He was afraid someone would say to her that love could give you wings and he'd see the day that Keiran Flannery could fly.
She'd become stronger as she'd learned her powers. He certainly had the easy end of their arrangement. He only had to instruct, she had to learn. Learn she did though. Monotonous afternoons of repeating the same hit, same kick, or attack combination, and she never complained. The muscle memory rapidly took hold and he saw the basic moves turn into attacks and defenses as they began sparring together.
She moved like a dancer from her years of martial arts and yoga, her body trim and athletic. She was also quick from her former work in boxing and had started to outmaneuver him some in their matches because of their height difference, using hers to her advantage with multiple combinations of low attacks and athletic jumps to throw him off balance.
Recently, she'd shown an interest in learning more styles of combat and movement. He couldn't wait to see what her added interests would become with her already strong fighting style.
He moved to the opposite side of the bed. He lay down on top of the covers next to her. He propped his head up on his hand and looked at her, wishing her pale eyes would open ready to scold him for some stupid and insensitive thing he might have said during one of their training sessions. She never held back from him, she was always honest with her opinions. It was a trait he admired about her. Not many people had the courage to be honest with him, especially women. It had made him think about what he would like in a woman if he ever entertained notions of romance again.
He'd always believed the perfect woman for him was Rachel Dawes, current assistant District Attorney of Gotham City who was dating golden boy Harvey Dent, District Attorney of Gotham City. Now, he was beginning to consider that might have changed.
Keiran was aware of his feelings for Rachel Dawes, just as he knew everything about her relationship with Oliver Queen. The amount of time they'd spent together over the past two years had led to many a late-night conversation in the lair, he recalled fondly. Rachel was, he'd thought, the love of his life. She was his oldest friend and the woman who'd broken his heart when she couldn't accept him as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. She'd said maybe there would be a chance for them when he was done with Batman and could be the man she'd fallen in love with again.
Unlike Rachel, Keiran Flannery had accepted all facets of Bruce Wayne from the moment she'd met him. She had kept his secret without his even needing to ask. Rachel had kept it as well, but it was never a source of comfort for him. He couldn't say the same about the woman lying in his bed.
Keiran was a source of comfort to him all the time. She always healed his injuries from patrols, constantly giving a bit of herself to him. It didn't matter if he said no to her. She pretended not to hear him.
She made him laugh, not an easy feat, but something she accomplished almost daily. She'd make a face at him during a meeting, quick enough for no one else to notice. Or, she'd turn on music and dance for no reason at all during the day, just because 'sometimes you needed to let loose.'
She'd managed to become further involved in his Batman activities as well. She'd badgered him into finally setting up access for her to the lair under the shipping yards. He'd assigned her a security code allowing her entry, not thinking about restricting her to only when he was there.
Almost immediately, he'd begun to find her there during her off hours. She'd work on her training, both magical and physical, until he'd return from his patrols. After he'd removed his gear, they would often review whatever she was working on, finding solutions together for things she may be struggling with. He realized he'd begun to look forward to finding her in the lair at the end of the evening. He liked ending his day with her.
Eventually she'd asked to be trained on his monitoring systems. Once she was trained and comfortable with the system, she assigned herself the responsibility of being the guiding voice in his ear while he was patrolling the city. She could pull up information and switch screens more rapidly than he could now. She'd also begun logging all data from his patrols into his database, which she tweaked and tailored for more streamlined searches, creating greater and more specific results for correlating patterns in crimes. She learned things quickly and always worked to find ways to make his job easier.
When she wasn't working on additional training or monitoring his patrols, she'd spend her extra time in the lair reviewing their search for Oliver Queen. He hid nothing from her when it came to the progress of the investigation. All their leads had unraveled or disappeared, much like Queen had the morning after he'd made love to Keiran.
He clenched his teeth. If Oliver Queen stood before him right now, he would beat him to within an inch of his life. He'd hurt her so badly by his actions, she'd almost been broken by the constant visions she'd seen of him until she'd accepted her magic and learned how to control it. The dreams had stopped for the most part, but occasionally bad ones still reared their ugly head, he thought, recalling how she'd come to work one morning last February, the outline of a dragon tattoo ghosted onto her skin in dark blue, pink and purple. She had to glamor it now when she wore sleeveless outfits.
She had seen Oliver Queen being tortured, a tattoo forced onto his shoulder of a red and black dragon. No sound, just Oliver hanging from chains in a room made of metal, the same man who had been with Oliver in the last vision she'd had of him, had been the one torturing Oliver. Her left shoulder had been sore for days. That had been the last image she'd had of him. There had been no new leads, nothing…until Tommy had come back from Hong Kong…he recalled. She'd almost lost another man in her life that she'd loved. That was when her magic had started to weaken. She'd become rattled.
She'd made protection charms for those that she loved – talismans with location spells built from the individuals' aura and her magic. A magical gps so to speak. He knew the process, she'd told him about them a while ago. They'd both agreed with her being new to magic it was too much of her to give of herself to protect others.
Until you're faced with losing another loved one, another man in your life who is important to you. He reached into his pocket, fingering the cool blue stone she had made for him. Out of the three she had given him for Christmas, this was his favorite, although he couldn't say why. He kept it in his pocket constantly. He could feel the flash of warmth when she reactivated the locator spell, giving of herself over and over again.
…couldn't…lose…you…
The last words she'd whispered to him came back to him.
'Keiran,' he whispered to her, brushing a kiss to her temple, 'please wake up.'
Her face turned towards him slightly. He reached for her hand, limp at her side. He lay his head down next to hers, hoping for another sign from her. He closed his eyes, like he'd seen her do on many occasion, wishing he could heal her like she always healed him.
He had a feeling he knew why her magic was not working properly. She was literally out of love. She closed herself off from it, wouldn't allow love to enter her heart if it was outside of family or friends. She refused to date or entertain any potential romantic relationships.
It was time to change that, he thought. She had risked everything for him on a daily basis, had literally put her life on the line last night to protect him, when it was supposed to be his role to protect her. It was time he took a risk for her, time for him to give back. He lay there, holding her cold hand, hoping he wasn't too late.
He felt her hand move in his. 'Please don't leave me alone, Bruce…' she said in a whisper, so quiet, he wasn't sure if the words were hers or his imagination.
He opened his eyes. He wanted to tell her that he needed her, didn't want to be without her. She needed to wake up. 'Wake up Keiran, and I promise, you will never be alone. I will always be there for you.' He placed his lips to her temple again, sealing his promise with another kiss. 'Always, Keiran.'
The stone at her neck blazed like the sun had risen in his bedroom. He held a hand up to shield his eyes from it. As quickly as it had begun, it ended and his room became dark again.
Keiran opened her eyes, blinking slowly. She looked around the darkened room, a light in the far corner the only source. She sat up slowly, noting the enormous bed she was lying in, set in front of a giant wall of windows. She was at the penthouse, but this was not a room she had ever entered, suddenly recognizing the familiar scent from the t-shirt she had on, the smell of the air right before it snowed. This was Bruce's room.
The door opened and Alfred came in with a tray. When he saw her, his face split into a gigantic smile and she saw tears form in his eyes as he moved closer. She saw his aura faintly, appearing to almost be dancing. The warmth in her chest bloomed and tears ran down her face in relief, at seeing Alfred and the return of her magic.
Alfred rushed to put the tray he was carrying down, quickly moving to her side. He sat on the bed and gently took her hand in his, patting it. 'There, there, Miss Keiran. You're back with us, now. You had us quite worried.'
She brushed the tears with her free hand, trying to smile when she looked at him. He seemed so relieved, so happy to see her. 'Alfred…what's happening? Why am I here…this is Bruce's room?'
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began drying her cheeks. 'You collapsed after you healed Master Bruce of his injuries. Your…normal healing abilities did not work as they had in the past. The injuries you absorbed took a long time to heal.'
Had she been asleep the whole time she was healing? 'How long have I been healing Alfred?' she asked, feeling her voice tremble.
'4 days Miss Keiran. Tonight is New Year's Eve. That's actually why Master Bruce is not able to be here himself. The signal appeared about 90 minutes ago. Lieutenant Gordon has not given up trying to find out who you are.' Alfred replied, apologies in his voice.
'What do you mean, who I am?' she asked, a nervous streak running through her.
Alfred chuckled. 'Miss Keiran, a stunning and brave woman on a motorcycle flies through a window into a warehouse where Batman was last seen entering in pursuit of the criminal, the Scarecrow. The police enter the premises when they hear gunshots only to find two men, disarmed and out cold on the floor while 4 men in Batmanesque garb are hanging from the ceiling and the motorcycle the woman rode into the building explodes in front of their eyes. No sign of Batman or the woman is found.' He beamed at her. 'Lieutenant Gordon, the Mayor, the Police Commissioner, every news outlet – they all want to know who you are.'
'Oh, Alfred…Bruce…he must be so angry with me,' she sighed, bowing her head, feeling her shoulders fall. 'I should have listened to you…'
He put his hand under her chin, lifting her face to look at him. His look was one of gratefulness and love. 'I'm glad you didn't my dear. You saved his life, although I'm sorry for what it cost you. I would never want you to trade your life for his. Please tell me you won't do that again.' He covered her hand again with his and squeezed it. 'I don't think myself or Master Bruce would manage very well if we lost you.' His lip trembled a little.
She squeezed his hand in return. 'Alfred, I'm so sorry.'
He hugged her to him briefly before patting her hand again and then turning to the tray he'd brought in. 'Now, I have brought you some homemade chicken soup and a few crackers to start you on your way back to health. Have some of that and be sure to drink the whole glass of water and the juice please. You are very pale. I'm going to run you a bath and you are going to wash the last few days away while we wait for Master Bruce to return.'
'Alfred, I should probably just go home.' She said, starting to get out of the bed.
'Miss Keiran, you are leaving this apartment over my dead body.' He said, rather sternly.
She sat back in the bed as he placed the tray in front of her.
'Now eat your soup.' He said to her and he moved into the adjoining bathroom. Soon she began to hear water running, smelling the familiar scents of lavender and chamomile. She smiled. Alfred knew everything.
She looked down at her soup and heard her stomach growl. It dawned on her that she hadn't eaten in 4 days. She picked up her spoon and began slowly eating the soup. Alfred made perfect chicken soup. She sighed in contentment. The soup disappeared quickly and she drank her water and the juice he'd brought her. It was her favorite. She felt better.
She heard the water turn off. Alfred walked out of the bathroom and walked over to her. 'Do you think you can stand, or would you like my assistance?' he asked, offering her his arm.
She moved her legs over to the side of the bed and slowly stood, using his arm to steady herself. She felt better and let go of him as she began walking toward the bathroom.
'I'll be waiting for you right here,' he said, indicating a small sitting area further along the windowed wall. 'I've left you a few towels, another spare t-shirt and a robe for you to wear. If you need anything else, just call out and I'll get whatever you need.'
She turned back toward him, touched by his care and concern. 'Thank you Alfred, I'll be fine.'
'I have no doubt about that Miss Keiran. Be that as it may, I was instructed not to leave you alone if you woke up until Master Bruce returned. Please call for me if you need anything.' He replied, smiling at her.
She walked into the bathroom, noting the large glassed in shower with multiple shower heads, the dual sinks and the gigantic, hot-tub-sized bathtub that was sunk into a raised platform in the middle of the room. Her aching and sore muscles sighed in relief just seeing the steam rising from the heated water.
She went to one of the sinks and found what she hoped was a spare tooth brush. She brushed her teeth and scrubbed her face, unhappy to see the return of the dark circles under her eyes. She looked thin. She'd probably lost a few pounds. Her skin, at least, was returning to her normal color. The warm water would help to finish the job. She stripped off the t-shirt, putting it into the laundry basket in the corner. She grabbed one of the towels and the robe left for her and put them on the floor next to the bath tub.
She dipped her toes in then slowly lowered her whole body into the warm water, inhaling the relaxing fragrant coming from the light layer of bubbles. She dunked her head, immersing herself in the comforting warmth. The water felt wonderful, the ache in her heart lessening a little further. She washed her hair and stayed in the water until she could feel herself starting to turn pruney.
She got out of the water and felt lightheaded again. She picked up the robe and the towel and slowly walked over to the counter. She finished drying herself off and wasn't surprised to find a comb for her hair, her favorite body lotion and face moisturizer. She stood up a little straighter and started humming as she began applying the lotions to her warm skin. She was starting to feel a more like herself.
Bruce entered his penthouse, his face dark as he thought about Gordon's relentless questioning about the woman on the motorcycle. He knew Gordon wasn't asking to be malicious, but more to satisfy his significant curiosity. The man wanted to know if he could trust the woman who'd defeated his men without actually touching them. And, most likely, he had a little bit of hero worship to go along with his frustration and curiosity.
Who wouldn't? A woman, dressed head-to-toe in skin-tight black leather jumped a motorcycle at full-speed through a window of a building. That was a fantasy for some men. As her actions had been in the pursuit of trying to protect others, Gordon had a modicum of respect for the unknown woman and wanted to know if she could be trusted.
Tonight, Batman had assured Lt. Gordon that if he saw the woman again, he could trust her. She was there to help. He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time the woman would be seen on the streets of Gotham. At least, that was his hope.
He looked down at the scroll he held in his hands. The message from Zatanna had appeared as he'd been leaving the lair. He'd just finished reading the information and it had confirmed his fears. If Keiran was no longer suited to master the God Stone of Aphrodite, she would have burned up instead of fizzle out. Exhaustion shivers and magic depletion meant that the user was cutting themselves off from the fuel for their power, the source of their magic. The Goddess of Love's God Stone needed to be fed with love. Not just familial love or the love of friends, the user needed to be open…receptive to romantic love, passion, desire. He finished reading the scroll a second time as he walked into his bedroom.
He saw his freshly made bed, noticing that Alfred had just finished rolling up the old linens. His heart skipped a beat. He tried to keep the seed of hope in his heart from blooming too early.
'She's awake?' he asked.
Alfred smiled at him and he felt the huge weight he'd been feeling on his shoulders dissipate.
'She woke about an hour ago.' Alfred told him as he walked out of the room with the dirty sheets.
He poured himself a scotch and sat down in one of the room's chairs, facing the wall of windows, rubbing his face with his hands. The past four days had been hell.
He was in love with her. He knew it. He could see all the steps of how it had happened, all the pieces. Clarity often accompanies experiences of potential loss. He knew it had felt like she was dying in his arms four nights ago. He also understood she was desperately afraid of love right now. She still believed in it, still saw it around her, welcomed it for others and from her family and friends, but the thought of a new relationship involving love…she refused it for herself.
He had no practice when it came to love and romance. Hell, he'd never had a significant romantic relationship with a member of the opposite sex at any time in his adult life. Not even Rachel. Physical needs had been satisfied along the way. There was always a date who was more than willing to spend a night with Bruce Wayne, even if it was just for the notoriety of bedding the billionaire playboy persona he had perfected.
Romantic relationships were not a path he'd pursued when he'd returned to Gotham. He'd thought there was no place for that in his life's mission. Now…he hoped he'd know what to do with the one he was planning to begin.
He heard her come into the room. She walked over and stood in front of him, clean and soft, wearing another of his t-shirts. He leaned forward until his head rested against her. He felt her hesitantly place her hands on the back of his head. Slowly, she started to run her fingers through his hair. A peaceful feeling started to course through him and he sighed with relief. Tears pricked at his eyes, rebelling against the tight control he kept over his emotions.
'You almost died…' he said to her. 'I held you and couldn't get you to stop shivering. You wouldn't wake up, no matter what I tried, you wouldn't wake up.'
'I'm sorry Bruce,' she whispered and he could hear the emotion in her voice as well. 'I'm so very sorry. You weren't responding over the com. I didn't have any other choice…I knew I could save you and you're too important…as Batman to this city and to Alfred and…
'Stop.' He said. 'This isn't about Batman, or Alfred or the city. This is about you and me.' He looked into her eyes, his voice angry. They were both going to have to face their fears as this new day dawned. 'You almost died! You seem to think that isn't important…that you aren't important.'
She turned away from him.
'Do you have any feelings…for me?' he asked, more afraid than he'd been when he'd stood up to the entire League of Shadows. 'I…when I couldn't get you to wake up, I realized something about how I felt…about you. You called out to me, asked me not to leave you alone. So, I promised you that if you woke up, I wouldn't. I promised that I would be there for you, always.'
He walked over and stood behind her. He felt so unsure. He remembered the night she'd found out she was, essentially, a sorceress. His instincts hadn't failed him that night. He decided to trust them again.
He put his arms around her and gently eased her back so that she was leaning into him. He rested his chin on the top of her head. A gentle warm feeling started to flow between them where their bodies were connected.
'I'm not sure how it happened.' He started talking to her. 'When I came back from my…travels, I knew what my mission was. I understood completely what I would have to give up in this life to fulfill what I believe is my purpose here. Romance, companionship, friendship were not parts of the equation. Alfred and Lucius, well…I was fortunate that their wisdom and love could see past who I had become. Their tethers to me keep me grounded.
'Rachel's reaction to my life's new focus was not a surprise. Her rejection was what I was expecting from those who could not see the city as I could, the world as it truly is. It hurt more than I thought it would. I knew then, love was not in the cards for me, even if I tried to fool myself into thinking that we could both wait until I was done being Batman.'
He heard her laugh gently. 'Bruce, you're never going to be done being Batman. It's not something you could ever just give up. You are Batman, just as you are Bruce Wayne. They are both part of the same man, halves of the same whole.'
'Exactly,' he said, turning her so that she faced him. 'Even with all I'd seen and experienced, I didn't understand that when I first started this. You did, though. You saw it from the minute you met Batman, when you realized who I was. You knew that he was a part of me. Forever. You didn't question that.'
He framed her face with his hands, staring into those luminous eyes, now shining with fresh tears. Jesus, she was beautiful. She talked of his importance as Batman and to the city and those who loved him. How could she not see that she was just as important to those who loved her, to Alfred and Lucius, to him?
'Love is a part of you. It's the source of your power. You can't close your heart from it' He paused, 'the magic isn't burning you out which proves you still have faith in love. However, unlike my path, yours is not one that can live without love. Even the prophecy says that.'
He saw the anger flash behind her eyes and she stepped back, away from his touch, flattening herself into the windowed wall. 'The prophecy! I'm so sick of it! When does it stop controlling my life?'
He knew she wanted her voice to sound strong, but he heard the fear. He was afraid to use more words. They weren't his normal way of dealing with problems. He had to keep trying to get through to her.
He placed his hand on her chin and raised her eyes so that their pale irises focused directly on his.
'I'm standing here, forever grateful that prophecy brought into my life Keiran. You…you are everything I thought that I would be fine living my life without. You're the first thing I look forward to in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. I miss you when you aren't here,' he paused.
'You are exquisite. You have more strength in you than men twice your size and you could probably take them down with little effort. You have mastered powers that Zatanna has told me could put the most powerful sorcerers she's ever known, to shame. You take care of every single one of us without any thought to yourself.
'You saved my life four nights ago. You came to help me without a thought to what it would do to you. You had almost no magic left in you, but rode to the rescue like a hero out of one of your favorite comic books because…it's who you are. You want to save everyone because of all the love that you have the capacity to hold in your heart.' He risked a grin and saw the small smile that played across her tear-stained face.
'I know you have feelings for me and I know how afraid you are of them. You aren't alone. I haven't felt like this in a very long time.' She looked up at him, surprise flitting across her features. He leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. His hands found hers and he held them gently, tracing little circles in her palms with his thumbs. 'I want you Keiran. I've been…falling for a while. I don't know if I can ever say the words to show you how you've changed my life. It's been an incredible gift to be a part of seeing you grow, and I don't want it to stop. You won't need my training for much longer. Your powers increase daily, but you don't need anyone to guide you when that happens and you are perfectly capable of teaching yourself combat skills now.' His hands framed her face again and he moved closer to her. 'You don't need me.'
He looked directly into her eyes. 'I need you.' He said and he kissed her before she could protest. He brushed her lips with the gentlest of touches, meant to keep it controlled and slow.
The fire that exploded inside him as their lips touched changed the plan instantly. He leaned into her body, already pressed up against the wall. He teased gently with his teeth, tested with his tongue. One hand threaded through her damp hair, the other grabbed her hip and slipped her closer to him.
She opened to him, deepening the kiss, her hands balling on his chest as the internal war he knew she was fighting raged inside of her. He didn't stop, didn't want to give her time to think. She needed to know how he felt, needed to understand that his feelings matched hers.
A familiar pulse, the powerful warm sensation of her magic began to beat through him, urging him on. He trailed soft kisses along her jawline. His arms went around her, pinning her to him, not wanting to release her. It was torment to think this might be the only chance he'd have to experience her like this, to feel her, to taste her. The warmth continued to grow. His mouth continued down her neck, leaving warm wet kisses along the pulse keeping tempo there.
'Bruce, please…' she whispered.
'Stay with me Keiran,' he said to her softly, 'don't leave me, please. I thought I could be alone, thought I didn't need love in my life.' He placed gentle kisses to her eyes, her cheeks, returned to her perfect mouth. 'I was wrong.' He traced kisses along the side of her face, 'I want to be with you. Give us a chance…give me a chance.' He whispered.
He looked at her, her eyes bright from the tears that flowed from them. The smallest, most beautiful smile in the world appeared on her face.
'I don't want to be alone either. I want to be with you.' He cupped her chin again so that she couldn't look away. A heated jolt went through his body, pressed so closely to hers. His body had become painfully aware that she was completely naked under the t-shirt of his that she wore. His normal control seemed to be lost to him.
'I've blocked my feelings for you out for so long. I thought…I thought you only saw me as the girl you were forced into training, eventually your friend. I…didn't have enough faith in you, the man who held me when I was completely broken on that night so long ago…and I didn't want to lose you like I lost Oliver.' She looked at him and he saw that some of the raw pain over Oliver Queen was still there. Well, it would be gone soon enough if he had anything to say about it.
He saw her look around the room and he felt her own strong physical reaction as she glanced at the bed and then back down at her almost half-naked appearance. She looked up at him and her eyes were wide again, a slight blush rising over her face, accompanying the swollen lips from his assault on them earlier.
'Bruce, I haven't been with anyone since…' she whispered, 'I don't think I'm ready…for…'
He chuckled, 'One step at a time.' His lips found hers again. He kissed her gently, holding back with every ounce of his will. She'd said yes, she would stay with him. It was a big step. As much as his body wanted to run to the next one, his heart wasn't sure he was ready for that either.
He kissed her once more and took her hands. 'First, I think, maybe…just to put a little distance between us and…temptation,' he chuckled again, 'we should probably find something other than just a t-shirt for you to wear. Second,' he glanced back towards the bed and then tor her, looking directly into her eyes as he said his next words, 'what's happening between us will take its own path and time. I'm no more ready for that step than you are.'
Holding her hand, he started walking towards the hallway. Alfred had been notably absent during all of the activity during these early morning hours, but he swore that he smelled coffee and bacon wafting through the air.
As they started walking towards the kitchen, he couldn't suppress the lightness he felt as she walked with him. In a quick motion, he turned and picked her up, cradling her in his arms in the exact same manner as he had the night she'd fallen. This time, her arms went around his neck. He kissed her again. If it was possible, he'd never stop.
He looked at her smiling face and felt a returning smile form on his. 'Why don't we start with breakfast and see what happens next?'
She laughed as he carried her to the kitchen, their fears conquered, if only for today.