Chapter 8: Rewrite the Stars

Clark rolled out a poster of Jenny Lind in front of Bruce.

"Kent, what makes you think that traveling the country is a good idea?" Bruce asked. "Why can't you just do more shows in New York?"
"Well, why did Napoleon march on Russia?" Clark responded.

"Kent, Napoleon lost," Bruce reminded him.

"Right, but he didn't have what I have," Clark responded. "A fancy orchestra, musicians, and the best theaters in the country." Clark walked out of the office.

"Wait! Kent, how are you expecting to pay for all of that?" Bruce asked.

"I took out a loan," Clark told him.

"And we're paying Jenny in advance?" Bruce questioned.

"It was a big loan," Clark said.

"Clark!" Bruce responded as he grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face him. "You've been letting Barnum get to your head. Listen. Our gate is down and we're getting more protestors everyday. We can't pay for both this tour and the circus."

"Well just get people to come back," Clark responded.

"Kent! Did you not understand what I just said?" Bruce said.

"Well Bruce I'll see you later. I've got to get packing," Clark told him. "Bye." Clark walked out on a confused and perplexed Bruce Wayne.

"Well isn't that a sight for sour eyes?" Shayera said. Bruce look over the banister to see her, John, Jonn', and a random troop member chilling on the coach.

"He's letting Barnum get to his head too much," John added.

"Agreed," Bruce responded. "He's not even phased at the fact that this could ruin us. Sorry."

"Oh! Pull yourself together Wayne," Shayera said. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" Bruce pulled out his watch.

"Crud," Bruce muttered. He then hurriedly headed for the theater.

"Anne Wheeler," Diana said. "Cl-Barnum said he had a ticket for me." The man at the booth held out two tickets. "Oh. I'm sorry. I believe there's only suppose to be one."

"No there's suppose to be two." She turned to see Bruce. "Phillip wasn't sure she'd come if he had asked."

"Makes sense," Diana responded.

"Diana, I'm sorry, I..." Bruce began.

"It's fine, Bruce," Diana said. "You don't have to apologize. It was scripted."

"I know but..." She put her finger over his mouth. "Okay, I'll stop." She took it off. He held out his arm for her. "So shall we?"

"Is this you or Phillip?" Diana questioned.

"Both," Bruce said. "So will you?" She smiled and took his arm. They began walking up the stairs.

"Phillip is that you?" They looked up to see Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle with horrified faces.

"Mr and Mrs. Carlyle this is Diana," he said.

"Phillip, have you no shame?" Mr. Carlyle said. "Being associated with that Barnum business is one thing. But parading around with the help." Diana glared at him before letting go of Bruce's arm and heading for the door.

"Diana, Diana!" Bruce called. She walked out. Bruce turned on his heel and glared at them. "You had no right to treat her like that." He began to walk away but his "mother" grabbed his arm.

"Phillip you forget your place," Mrs. Carlyle said.

"My place?" Bruce questioned. "My place is with her and neither you nor anyone else is going to change that. And I'm never going to let anyone or anything convince me otherwise ever again. Not you, not Joker, not anyone." Bruce walked out on them and headed for the circus.

Bruce found Diana on a bleacher getting ready to do some trapeze. Bruce walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.

"Diana...I...They had no right to speak to like that," Bruce told her.

"It's fine, I'm use to it," Diana said. "I think now I finally understand. This is how you're treated when no one's looking."

"Diana...," Bruce began fearfully. He couldn't let her give up on him. Not when he finally was comfortable with letting her have his heart. Not when he was ready to let her in. "I just want you to know that I mean every word I'm going to sing." Diana raised her eyebrow.

"The way they look at all of us," Diana said. The song began.

"You know I want you," Bruce sang. Diana stopped. "It's not a secret I try to hide. I know you want me. So don't keep saying our hands are tied." Diana started to walk away but Bruce followed. "You claim it's not in the cards and fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me. But you're here in my heart so who can stop me if I decided that you're my destiny." They were now in the center ring. "What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine. Nothing can keep us apart. You'd be the one I was meant to find." He turned her around to face him. "It's up to you and it's up to me. No one can say what we get to be. So why don't we rewrite the stars?" A rope fell close to where Diana was standing. "Maybe the world could be ours. Tonight." Diana instinctively grabbed the rope next to him and was whisked up. She landed on a hidden platform and Bruce couldn't see her. Then the lights came on and he saw her coming slowly down on a hoop.

"You think it's easy," she sang. "You think I don't want to run to you. But there are mountains and there are doors that we can't walk through. I know you're wonder why because we're able to be just you and me within these walls. But when we go outside you're gonna wake up and see." Bruce held onto her hoop as it was lifted into the air. "That it was hopeless after all." Bruce let go. "No one can rewrite the stars. How can you say you'll be mine? Everything..." Bruce grabbed her mid-swing. "Keeps us apart." They tumbled over and then stopped when Diana was on top. She pulled on a rope. "And I'm not the one you were meant to find." She grabbed the rope. "It's not up to you. It's not up to me." Bruce grabbed the rope. "When everyone tells us what we can be. How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours, tonight?" They were right next to each other now.

"All I want is to fly with you," they sang together. "All I want is fall with you. So just give me all of you." (Same choreography as movie)

"It feels impossible," Diana sang.

"It's not impossible," Bruce said.

"Is it impossible?" Diana sang.

"Say that it..." They forgot to link arms so they crashed into each other. It startled Bruce so much that he let go of his rope and fell onto the ground. The music stopped.

"Ooooh! Bruce are you okay?" Diana asked. Bruce started laughing.

"Kent is gonna kill me when he finds out about this," Bruce said through laughter. Diana laughed too. "So does this mean we have to start all over again?"

"Probably," Diana said.

"Even the cheesy intro?" Bruce questioned.

"Even the cheesy intro," Diana said. Bruce groaned. The lights went dark.