Heyya! Just a quick note of thanks to KoiGirlPGSM,Ariddle-Ascare,NightOwl134 (the first sentence was a complete coincidence), chef the Fffth, SuperAwesomeFriend, and 'Guest'.
Bruce Wayne was not a night owl.
Oh, yes, i know you're surprised. You're thinking of the midnight adventures, running over rooftops and driving so fast that gravity pushed him back into the seat of the super-velocity sonic pursuit vehicle, hunting down some dangerous mad man or other.
But damn, did all that crap take it out of a guy.
Seriously, it took dangerous amounts of caffeine to get him OUT OF BED at 2:30 in the AFTERNOON after one of those late night escapades.
So think about it.
Would YOU want to stay up any later than you had to?
No?
Well. Imagine that you where just about to get to sleep, aching muscles relaxing in bliss as you finally allowed yourself to bend to exhaustion, and then...
BANG!
Bruce bolted upright, immediately alert, sharp eyes searching the darkness around him.
He listened, straining his ears into the thick silence that followed the disturbance.
There was a light click, and the sound of a door opening down the hall, and he realized that whatever the sound was, it had woken Alfred, too.
Pulling back the covers with a short huff, he hauled his body out of bed, taking a moment to glare regretfully at the soft, down mattress before groping his way through the dark to the door.
He paused suddenly, his fingers resting lightly on the door handle, wondering if he should try to gain the element of surprise in the case of attempted burglary.
Then he realized that seeing as Alfred had apparently already made the decision to step into the hallway, he had already lost that advantage.
A knock on the wood startled him out of his pondering, and he swung the door open to see Alfred standing smartly in his creaseless pyjamas and old-man slippers, as Bruce had dubbed them.
The Butler nodded respectfully as he moved aside, allowing Bruce to step into the hallway.
He had apparently realized the need to be quiet, so as to not alert any possible intruders to their presence.
Shutting the door silently behind him, Bruce studied the Hallway, searching for the source of the noise.
His eyes where quickly drawn to a pale beam of dusty light, glowing faintly in the otherwise pitch darkness.
The skylight was handing down on its hinges, still swinging slightly. Its impact from the wall behind it must have been the source of the bang.
It couldn't have opened on its own.
It was held in place by double bolts that could only be slid back from the inside.
The corridor behind the shaft of moonlight was black with impenetrable shadows.
Warily, with stealth born of years of training, Bruce crept forward a little way, intent on examining the skylight.
Alfred stayed behind, knowing that he hadn't the same stealth.
As he crept slowly closer, it became apparent that the glass had been tampered with.
A small circle had been cut sloppily, probably using some diamond tipped tool, into the window, allowing someone to reach in and undo the bolts.
A thin, but sturdy-looking rope had been secured to an unknown anchor on the roof, and thrown into the hallway.
On his guard and wide-awake, he took up a defensive stance.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" he called into the stifling darkness, narrowing his eyes.
He strained his ears...
There was a weak moan, just beyond the shadows.
This struck him as an odd response.
He took another step forward, and then recoiled as his bare foot hit something sticky and lukewarm.
Unable to identify the dark substance, he bent swiftly, dipping his finger in it, straightening up as to not present an opportunity for attack.
He held his hand beneath the beam of moonlight.
His index finger was coated in a glistening, dark red substance.
Blood.
So whoever the intruder was, they were severely compromised.
There was suddenly an explosion of coughing from the shadows.
It was an unhealthy sound, wet with what he presumed was blood.
Deciding it was safe, he turned to Alfred.
"Alfred, get the lights"
The switch clicked, and the hall was suddenly illuminated with white light.
Bruce and Alfred stared, stock still at the lean body sprawled over the carpeted hallway.
Alfred broke the tense silence, Spluttering in astonishment.
"I-isnt that...i mean, th-thats-"
"The Riddler" Bruce finished.
His thin frame was wracked with hacking coughs, his auburn hair matted with sweat and blood.
He didn't even seem to acknowledge their presence as the Bat and his Butler stepped forwards, edging towards him.
Blood was pooling around him, his green jacket and pants already dark with blood, his signature cane and bowler hat lying feet away from him.
Blood trickled over his lips and from the corner of his mouth as his coughing fit eventually died down, leaving him shaking violently, to weak to move.
Sighing, Bruce ran a hand through his dark hair.
"What course of action do you suggest we take, sir?"
He sighed. He could always find a place to conveniently dump the body once the villain had bled to death, he supposed.
He felt a twinge of guilt at the thought.
He gazed at the large puddle of blood surrounding the masked man, and groaned.
He made up his mind.
"Alfred, go and prep a bed in the medical bay, please."
The butler nodded, setting off briskly down the hallway.
Bruce shook his head in exasperation. Why was he so nice to everyone?
He consoled himself with the thought that he was only doing it to save his carpet.
There ya go. Hope ya enjoyed this chapter! My, my, three chapters...I normally don't get past one...
From now on, I will be taking suggestions for the direction of the story.
Review with any scenes or anything you would like to see the Riddler do to satisfy your fan girl/boy needs and I will do my best to write them in! Xx no lemons, though, you naughty people xX
ALSO! I'm not fond of the BRUCE/RIDDLER pairing...just putting that out there now...
Finally, if you don't get the bit about the carpet: it was my pitiful attempt at humour, saying that Bruce was more worried about making sure the carpet didn't get any more bloodstains on it...
ANYWAY! Please review and I'll give ya some virtual sweet, sweet mashed potato! Love you guys!
Lotsa love, TiggitNeko ~