A/N - Thanks for the reviews and alerts...popcorn and candy for all!
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A sudden scream rang out from across the street. He suddenly turned, feeling a pit grow in his stomach. Images of his little sister flashed through his mind as he ran across the street towards the sound of muffled cries. He ran down the street, listening carefully and stopped when he heard a voice very familiar to him - Allison.
"HEY! Let her go!!" he heard her boldly call out.
He turned down the side street and followed the sounds of her voice. He concentrated to keep listening but the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears was drowning out any words that he could make out. David turned and found himself suddenly bumping into a woman. She shrieked, attempting to get around him.
"Hold on, hold on," David said, softly. "Have you seen a young girl come down this way?"
The woman seemed to calm slightly.
"I'm looking for my sister, please, have you seen her?!"
The woman nodded nervously and turned to look in the direction that she just came from.
"Damn it," he muttered.
"She saved me," the woman mumbled before she continued to run. David felt sick to his stomach as he ran further down the dark driveway.
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The men chuckled as they approached the slender fourteen year old. Allison watched as the other woman ran off into the darkness. Allison backed up, realizing that coming to the woman's aid on her own probably wasn't the best idea. She quickly found herself surrounded by the three men before one of them grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.
"HEY!" David exclaimed when he saw Allison being pushed. The three men saw him coming and they all quickly pulled out the knives they had in their pocket, preparing for a fight. "Let her go!"
The men snickered to each other as one of them put his hand around her neck. "Yeah, right. You gonna make us?"
"I'd rather not," he replied, boldly.
"A smart-ass, huh?"
David didn't answer. The first man lunged at him. David twisted around, grabbing the man's arm before flipping him over his shoulder and onto the ground before the man had a chance to even use the knife he had in his hand. The man fell unconscious when he hit the pavement. David could hear the other two coming from behind and he quickly ducked before raising his fist, hitting one of them in the chin. He turned, tripping the man with his foot, causing him to fall onto his back. The man fell hard. David was impressed with himself. Everything that his Dad had taught him over the years actually worked.
"DAVID! BEHIND YOU!"
He was aware that Allison was nearby and he quickly turned at her voice, suddenly feeling the impact of someone hitting him in the chest as he did. He gasped, the air being knocked out of him before he felt his knees go weak.
"That's what you get for ruining our little party," the last man standing said, as he dropped the piece of wood to the ground. The sound echoed down the alleyway. David could hear Allison's screams for him as he leaned over on all fours, trying to breath once again. His chest ached as he gasped for a breath.
"DAVID!"
Allison watched in fear as the man approached David once again. Suddenly and without thinking, she ran towards the burly man and jumped onto his back before kicking and punching at him.
"Get the hell off of me, you little freak!" he exclaimed, as Allison tried to wrap her arm around the large man's neck. She tried to choke him, with no success.
With a loud growl, he quickly backed up and pinned Allison between his back and the brick wall. The force of the hit caused Allison to hit the wall with the back of her head and let go of the large man before falling to the ground, landing on her rear end. The large man tipped his head to the side, letting out an audible crack.
"I guess I'll have to teach you both some manners," he said, emphasizing his point with a punch into his open palm. "Problem is, who goes first."
"Touch her and I'll kill you," David exclaimed in a tone that Allison had never heard before. She was almost certain that she was hearing the voice of her father coming from David. He glared at the man as he still cradled his ribs with his arm.
The man turned, looking at David with a large smile. "You look like you'll cause me a lot of problems. I'll take care of you first."
"Touch him and I'll kill you."
The man stopped, confused at the third and unfamiliar voice. He turned and was met with a fist in his face. The man stumbled backward a few feet before catching his balance before seeing Batman standing in front of him. He quickly picked up the same piece of wood and held it over his head, preparing to defend himself. The man attempted to hit Batman with the wood, the same as he did to David. Instead, Batman caught it in his hand before ripping it from the other man's grip. Somewhat shocked, the man suddenly turned and ran off. Batman was about to go after him but stopped, turning to look back at his grown son in pain and his daughter sitting on the ground.
He went to David and held out his hand to him.
"Breath slowly," he told him. "If you take a deep breath, it'll hurt."
David took the open hand and slowly stood up, cringing at the pain that he felt along his ribs. He looked over as Allison stood up and slowly walked towards them. Batman turned to her.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded. "I think so.
"Good," he stated before grabbing her arm and proceeded to stalk down the alleyway. He ignored her complaints of him hurting her and how rough he was being. David followed behind. Batman suddenly stopped and pressed a button on his belt.
"I'm going to bring you two home," he said softly, looking over his shoulder to David. "You're in no condition to be driving as you are. We'll take care of the car later."
In the distance, they could hear the rumbling of the tumbler approaching.
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Allison sat in silent defiance as stood in front of him, arms crossed. Even minus the cowl, cape and gloves, he would still be able to elicit fear in his enemies but for a rebellious daughter, he was nothing more than her Dad. Behind him, David sat shirtless while Alfred and Olivia tended to the bruises and carefully wrapped his chest.
"What the hell were you thinking!?"
Bruce's voice echoed throughout the cave. She rolled her eyes before looking down at the ground. She bit her tongue knowing that she would regret what would come out.
"Don't you even dare to roll your eyes at me, young lady!" he exclaimed. "This is serious. You and David could have gotten killed tonight if I hadn't shown up when I did."
"You must have missed the part where David kicked the monkey man's ass!"
David looked up, hearing his sister talk back at his Dad. He winced at her words, knowing from experience that it was a bad idea and also, partly due to the pain that he was experiencing as Alfred tightly wrapped his ribs. Allison was bold and had a temper to match her Dad. If David was his carbon copy when it came to appearance, then Allison ripped a page straight from Bruce's personality handbook.
"Allison Rachel!" Olivia scolded harshly.
The tone in her Mother's voice was enough to remind her who she was talking to.
Bruce took a deep breath.
"You lied to your Mom and I about where you were going tonight and went to a club, downtown, after dark," he said, calmly. "You're smart enough to know that alone isn't safe!"
"I'm not a child anymore Dad," she snapped.
"Maybe not," he said. "But you're still my daughter. You will do what I say and I'm telling you that you are grounded for a month."
Allison opened her mouth to speak but thought the better of it and closed her mouth, and crossed her arms in defeat.
"No friends over, no television and no after school activities."
Allison's mouth opened in shock.
"What about Mr. Fox's party?!"
Bruce shrugged, knowing that Allison had been looking forward to it. "You're not going."
Allison stood up, angrily. "What?"
"Do you want to make it two months?"
Allison sighed and answered with a soft, "no sir."
Bruce nodded. "Get upstairs."
Without a further invitation, Allison turned and stalked her way towards the lift that would take her up to Wayne Manor. He could hear the sound of her muttered angry and bitter words under her breath followed by deep sighs of frustration as she walked away. Bruce sighed and looked over at his wife, who smiled weakly at him. Olivia stood up and placed a hand on his arm.
"I'll go up with her," she said softly. Bruce quietly thanked her before turning to David as Alfred continued to gingerly wrap the young man's chest with a bandage.
"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked him.
"A little better," he replied, before taking a shallow breath.
"You're going to be a little sore for a little while," Alfred commented to David, before gesturing over at Bruce. "Knowing how you're like your father when it comes to following recommendations, I suggest that you listen to what I say and rest for the next couple of days."
David grinned as he reached for the shirt beside him. He carefully pulled it over his head.
"So, you kicked some ass?"
David chuckled slightly. "I suppose. At least until I was rammed with a 2 by 4."
"You took out two grown men on your own and took the brunt of that hit," Bruce commented. "Even I wouldn't be able to withstand that without armour."
David shrugged. "I could have used some armour tonight."
"That wouldn't be the life I would want for you."
David slid off the bench which he was sitting on and walked up to Bruce as he began to peel off the pieces of armour on his chest.
"Dad, I'm 25 years old," David stated. "I know it's dangerous. You've taught me enough that I could take care of myself if need be. I don't need you to be looking over my shoulder anymore."
"I want you to make more of your life than spending your nights with the scum of Gotham," Bruce said. "This isn't your responsibility."
David sighed, knowing that it wasn't an argument that he was wanting to get further into. Bruce was already on edge after his short conversation with Allison.
"I checked out Coleman Reese," David stated, changing the subject.
"And?"
He shrugged. "Nothing unusual at the house. I'll drive by again later today, but I have a feeling that he isn't behind this, Dad. I could find out more if I had the appropriate surveillance equipment. There is a decent amount of covering in the wooded bush just behind the property as well."
Bruce nodded, pulling his shirt over top of his head.
"Good," he said. "I'll talk with Mr. Fox in the morning and discuss with him about possible ideas for this and then I'll check up on Mr. Reese myself. Take a few days off and rest up. Stay at Wayne Manor if you'd like even."
David sighed and watched as Bruce walked towards the lift. Bruce suddenly stopped when he saw David wasn't following. He smiled.
"Are you coming up?"
David shook his head. "No, you go up. I'll be up shortly."
Bruce smiled curtly as he nodded. David listened to the sound of the gears moving the lift higher and higher, until the only sound that he could hear was that of the rushing waterfall. David sighed, looking over at the Tumbler. He sat down in front of the multiple flat screen computer monitors and looked up, seeing one that was focused on the front of Heather's house. After watching for a short while, he stood up to leave the cave.
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A few days later...
Heather walked down the busy downtown Gotham street, mentally quizzing herself with as much information as she could. She found herself mumbling the definitions of various procedures and health conditions and noticed that she was stared at on more than once from people passing by her. She smiled to herself knowing that she's one of the least craziest people in the city. Heather turned and opened the door to Gotham Century Towers and walked through the lobby. She waved to the security man who nodded with a smile to her after recognizing her. She walked to the private elevator and took a deep breath before she stepped in.
Heather hated elevators. Anything that was a small, confined space made her apprehensive. Ever since her cousin had locked her in an old pantry in her grandparents basement at the age of seven, Heather had been claustrophobic. Her aunt and uncle brushed it off to her parents saying it was just a childish joke, but Heather had never gotten over it. It had taken her a while to get to the point where she'd no longer have a panic attack while on a short trip up an elevator and now here she was, heading up to the top floor of Gotham Century Towers.
She took deep breaths as she stood inside the elevator and before she knew it, she had reached the penthouse level. She pressed the doorbell and waited...and waited...and waited.
She waited for another second, debating whether she should open the door herself or not. Heather looked down at her watch. She was running out of time and her original quick visit was becoming longer than she thought. David had given her the code for the door years ago and had insisted that she doesn't knock but merely come in, on more than one occasion, especially knowing about her issue with elevators. Finally, she reached over and pressed the appropriate numbers in order before she heard the door unlock. She opened the door.
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David opened the door to the shower when he thought that he had heard something. Needing to listen more carefully, he turned off the water before running a hand over his face to get the water off. That time, he did hear the beeping sound of the front door. He reached for the towel and began to dry himself off as quickly as he could before pulling on a pair of shorts. He walked out of the bathroom, passed through his room before walking into the hallway. The beeping had stopped, but he was still curious. Water was now dripping off the ends of his hair as he jogged down the spiral staircase. He vigorously rubbed his head with the towel in his hand as he stepped onto the cool marble floors.
He walked past the door, when he suddenly noticed Heather sitting on the edge of the couch with her head down, writing on a piece of paper.
"Heather?"
The young woman gasped at the sound of another voice and turned, startled. She held her hand against her chest.
"Damn it, David," Heather said with a laugh. "You scared the crap out of me."
He smiled. "What are you doing here? Don't you have an exam this morning?"
"I do," she replied. "I just came to drop these off. Thanks for letting me borrow them. They really came in handy to break up the all-night studying."
Heather stood up and held out two DVD's before slipping her pen and paper back into her tote.
"You didn't have to bring them over," David said. "I could've picked them up sometime."
"If I didn't bring them, they would surely get lost in the house."
As she held out the DVD's, it was then that she realized that her best friend was standing in front of her with nothing more than a pair of shorts. She noticed his hair was wet and fell over his face slightly, making him appear more youthful than his age. That wasn't the only things she noticed. She forced her eyes to look at his face, but couldn't help but let them wander over his broad shoulders and well toned body. David seemed oblivious to her visual approval and took the DVD's. He looked back at her and noticed that her eyes were elsewhere, and she looked concerned.
"What is it?"
Heather let out a breath. "Where did you get the bruises from?"
David looked down at his chest and smiled weakly. He had completely forgotten. He shrugged. "Oh those. Football."
"Football did that?"
"I wasn't wearing pads at the time," he added.
Heather snorted.
"I guess not. I suggest that you don't do that again. Bruises don't look too good on you."
"Well, at least I'll know a doctor to come running to next time," he said with a broad smile.
She paused for a moment, realizing that her face was moments from turning a bright red.
'What the hell is going on?' she mentally thought. 'This is David in front of me. Remember, it's David.' Her mental discussion wasn't helping.
"Well, anyhow," she said, spinning on her heel and heading back towards the door. "I have an exam to write."
"And, you're going to pass it too," he continued, as he followed her towards the door.
"I wish I could get a bit of that confidence," she said, turning towards him once she reached the door.
"You'll do great," he said, as Heather stepped back into the elevator. She smiled before leaning over to close the door. Instead, David placed his hand over the door, stalling them.
"And I'm feeling so optimistic, that I want to take you out for breakfast on the morning of your first day at Dent Memorial," David said. "We'll go to that little place on the corner of Fifth and Sunset."
"You don't have to do that," Heather said with a smile, keeping her eyes on his face, yet still feeling an odd sensation in her stomach as his eyes looked at her through his wet hair.
"I want to. And it's on me," he added.
Finally, Heather nodded. "All right."
"Good luck."
David let go of the doors and let them close on themselves. He turned from the door and placed the towel on his head before looking down at the bruises on his chest and winced.
"At least I didn't say polo."
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Three days later....
The elevator opened as a general hush swept over the multitudes of cubicles that filled the large space. Whispers of excitement as the CEO and owner of Wayne Enterprises was on their floor. Having the son of the owner as their boss wasn't as exciting as this. These were the two men that made the entire ship run - one, the engine that made it run, and the second, the good looking machinery. More than a few glances were stolen in their direction as both Mr. Fox and Mr. Wayne, the senior, walked side by side towards the younger Wayne's office. They stopped before Mr. Wayne knocked on the door. He could hear the voice of his son behind the door before he saw him through the frosted panel. David pushed open the door as he continued to talk on the phone.
"Yeah, it has to be big," he said, walking back to his desk. "Just send them to the address I gave you and send the bill to me. All right?"
He paused for a moment, glancing back at the two men. Bruce had his hands in his pocket, looking out the window while Mr. Fox took a seat in the chair across from David's desk. Lucius smiled at him.
"Yes, thank you."
David hung up the phone and apologized.
"What's going on?" he asked, looking from Mr. Fox to Bruce.
"Your father and I wanted to come down and speak with you about something that we have been discussing," Lucius began, as Bruce walked over towards them. David leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, not sure whether or not he should be worried.
"You've done a great job down here in the short time that you've run things as the manager," Bruce said. "We're wondering if you could handle more."
"Like what?"
"You know that Mr. Fox is retiring, but he has agreed to stay on unofficially until the end of the year," Bruce said. "In that time, you're going to be his shadow. I want you to learn as much about the company as you can. We both feel that you would be able to do this if you were to work alongside him from now until the end of the year and which time, I want you to take over as the CEO."
David was taken back, if not shocked.
"Me? Are you sure that you don't want to take it over? Who's going to look after things down here?"
"Business was never my strong suit. You excel in it, David. Your PR skills are incredible. And don't worry about things here. There are a few people that I have in mind to take care of it."
"We both believe that you could take care of the company," Mr. Fox added, before a small smile appeared on his face. "Besides, we'd need somebody familiar with the mechanics of the applied sciences division. We wouldn't be able to give that responsibility to just anyone."
David smiled, knowingly. "I suppose not."
"So, what do you say?"
David's smile faded as he looked down at the carpet beneath his feet. Running Wayne Enterprises was never on his agenda. He had become rather comfortable in his position. He looked back at the two men in front of them. David knew that if he was going to do this, he'd have to stick to Lucius like glue for the next six months. Finally, he nodded.
"All right."
Bruce and Lucius smiled as Mr. Fox held out his hand towards David to shake. David turned to Bruce who too, shook his hand.
"Before we break out the wine to celebrate, I'm going to need your help with something that Lucius and I have been working on."
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That night...
The wind blew.
The tree moved.
David wasn't sure if it was because of the wind or if it was from his weight. Being perched high in a tree wasn't his idea of fun, especially at night. He was thankful for the night vision goggles that Mr. Fox had suggested when he was showing him the surveillance equipment back at the Wayne Enterprises earlier that day. Bruce had asked for him to help set up the equipment, which surprised David. He had no idea that it involved climbing a tree nearly thirty feet high. He was glad that his fear of heights disappeared many years earlier. David slowly reached down to his belt as it was full of utilities for him to get the job done. He straddled himself between two branches as he reached around the main trunk to attach a small video recording device. He turned it towards himself and smiled into it before attaching it to the tree.
"Charming smile there, sir," Alfred's voice said into his ear piece. David chuckled, momentarily forgetting that he was wired with a two-way intercom to Alfred back at the cave and to Batman, who was out on the streets somewhere, also monitoring the video. Alfred couldn't help but see the resemblance to Batman. David was dressed completely in black from head to toe, with only his eyes and mouth showing. The eyes behind the ski mask were nearly identical to Bruce's but the mouth and smile was uniquely Olivia's. "How's the chest feeling?"
"Not bad at all," David replied. "A little stiff, but nothing beyond that.
He adjusted the camera.
"How's the clarity and direction?" David asked softly, as he aimed it towards the rear yard of Coleman Reese's property. It was dark but the night vision on the camera would take care of that.
"Clarity is good, but it needs to be angled more to the left."
David turned the camera in the direction that Alfred had instructed.
"That's better."
"How many more do you have?"
This time, the voice belonged to Batman. David could hear the familiar sound of a low rumble from the tumbler engine. He slowly climbed down the tree, being careful to not catch himself on any limbs.
"One more," he replied softly before slowly moving to another tree a few hundred yards down. "I'll see if I can get this one aimed at the back door, if I can get a clear view."
He began to climb another tree.
"Get that one up and then go home," Batman said. "I'll be home later."
David nodded as he climbed before swatting at a bird who was attacking him for being close to a nest.
"David?"
"Yeah, I'm here. The birds aren't too happy with me nearby."
Alfred chuckled, hearing the two men talk. He watched as another monitor fizzled to life as David adjusted it to the main trunk of the tree.
"One little adjustment and I'll be glad to get out of this tree," David said, just as his cell phone began to play a tune in his pocket. He carefully reached for it, before looking down at Mr. Reese's yard to ensure that no one would've heard it.
"Did you bring your cell phone?" Batman asked almost incredulously, over the earpiece.
David turned the phone over, his face lighting up in the glow of the caller ID. "It's Heather. It's after eleven."
"Turn it off."
"She never calls this late," David said, putting the phone to his ear. "Heather?"
"Hi David. Sorry for calling so late. I was just getting off work at the store."
"Uh, no problem. I was up," David said as he shifted his weight on the branch which he held onto.
"Good. I have some good news and then some not so good news."
"What is it?" He hoped he didn't sound too impatient.
"I passed my exam!" she exclaimed. "I found out a few days ago and I've been so busy getting ready to start my internship and with working, that I hadn't had a chance to call."
"That's great news!" David said softly. "Are we still on for breakfast tomorrow?"
"We are. I'll be..." Heather continued to talk, but the voice coming from his earpiece in his other ear was louder and David couldn't concentrate on both conversations.
"You need to hang up," Batman said. "You're risking putting her in danger if you don't. End the phone call now, David."
David winced and bit his lip, listening once again to what Heather was saying.
"...for a long time."
"That's great," David said again.
There was a pause.
"What's so great about flat tires?"
Flat tires? What did a flat tire have to do with passing her exam?
He began to climb down the tree with one hand, as he tried to keep his voice from showing any struggle as he carefully took each step.
"Huh? I'm sorry, Heather. What were you saying?"
He heard her sigh. "I just came out..."
"David, you really need to hang up," Batman's voice said once again into his other ear.
David stopped on a branch and held the phone away from himself before turning his head to talk to Batman. He tried to catch his breath. "I'll take care of this. Just hold one for one minute."
He put the phone back to his ear to listen to Heather. Had she hung up?
"Heather?"
"Are you talking to someone?"
"No."
He heard her let out a mock laugh.
"Look, you're obviously busy so I'll see if I can get a tow and call a cab. If you were busy with someone, you could've just told me you were busy and not try to carry on a one-sided conversation with me."
David jumped down onto the ground.
"I'm not busy with anyone right now, Heather," David exclaimed softly. He was starting to get frustrated.
She snorted.
"David, I know you well enough to know when you're lying to me," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Before David could say another word, she hung up the phone.
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Heather sighed, before turning to look at her small blue car, sitting on four very flat tires. She bent over and touched the rims, when she noticed that the tires had been slashed.
"Son of a..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a tightness wrap around her neck followed by the feeling of warm breath tickling her ear. "Bitch."
Heather tried to swallow and think of what to do in the situation. She felt helpless as a knife was traced along her cheek. She could feel the fear rise up as her heartbeat increased.
"I'm in need of your help," the man whispered as he turned her towards the backdoor of the store. "And you're going to help me get it."
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A/N - I've already have a decent part of the next chapter done...so I'm hoping it''ll be out sooner than later...
Please review!!