A/N: And here we have yet another chapter with lots of John Blake. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last one!
Like last chapter, I'll be using content from The Dark Knight Rises, so WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen the movie and want to find out what happens yourself, reading my story wouldn't be advisable. But if you've seen it, or you just want to read and find out what happens, then by all means, read on!
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, or any of its characters. They all belong to DC Comics and Christopher Nolan… Even though I'd really like to. If I did I would put much more John Blake in the movie. And my characters would most definitely be added.
Reviewers and Replies:
Sam0728: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well!
kindleflame5: That suggestion is brilliant. I think I may throw that in during the next chapter just for a filler chapter before I get TDKR novel for a bit of help with the plot line. Thank you for the review and all the positive feedback through PM's. I look forward to hearing from you again!
NathalieIyper: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well!
Luli Cullen: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well!
dream lighting: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well!
Blairx6661: I'm actually getting the Dark Knight Rises novel this Friday. I may throw in a filler chapter before then just to put a new chapter out there before I get back into the plot. I want to get the plot perfect, but I may change some things since it is, in fact, a Fanfiction. Thank you for the review!
highlander348: Aw yay! I'm so glad you like the Black Swan. I was actually worried that people wouldn't like her. It took me a while to come up with a proper name for her vigilante persona but I liked it when I thought of it. The Black Swan won't be letting John unmask her. She wouldn't be a good heroin if she did so! Thank you so much for the excellent review, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
ZabuzasGirl: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well!
wisegirl2772: No way. John won't figure out Rosalie secret… on his own anyway. Hah. Thank you for the review!
Katara Melody Cullen: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well!
prettylilliars99: Sorry about not being able to double post, but I hope you like this chapter! Thank you for the review!
el H.H: Thank you for the review! I'm really glad you like my story so far! I hope you enjoy it until the end.
WinterRain36: Don't worry. John won't be finding out Rosalie's secret. At least not yet. ;) Thank you for the review!
-IWRU-
"I need to get out there to let Gotham know I'm still around," Gordon says, and Rosalie lets out a rather un-lady like snort in amusement.
"You go out there, and they'll kill you on the spot," she says, lounging on John's couch in his apartment. "You're no good to Gotham dead."
"She's right," John says from his seat next to Rosalie. "Can you tell us anything else?"
"I didn't hear much else. The only complete conversation I heard was the one about the police and their plans to kill you," Rosalie says, gesturing to Gordon. "I would catch little snippets of their conversations and come to my own conclusions, but I don't know how reliable they are."
"How did you come by this information?" Gordon asks her, and Rosalie sighs.
"I was walking home from work and a couple of Bane's rambunctious ruffians came up and snatched me. They took me down into the tunnels after knocking me out…quite rudely, may I add, and Bane kept me there for two days until my sister brought him what he wanted," Rosalie says.
"And what was it that Bane wanted," John asks, dreading the answer that he already knows. Rosalie gives him a sad look.
"The Batman," she says, her eyes growing cold again.
"Did you see what he did to him?" John asks, and Rosalie nods slightly, focusing her eyes on a spot on the wall. "Is he dead?"
"When I saw him last, he was breathing," Rosalie answers, and John nods slightly. "I tried to help him."
John frowns a bit and pushes the hair off of one of her shoulders. He brushes a few of his fingers over the dark bruises on her neck. "Is that where these came from?"
"It didn't make Bane very happy when I tried to help him," Rosalie says with a shrug. After a few moments of silence Gordon excuses himself to go take a much needed shower. John gets up to show him where the bathroom and necessities are, and Rosalie walks around the small living room while the two men are gone. She spies a small shelf by the window with a few framed pictures on it. Rosalie tilts her head to the side as she looks at a picture of a woman with a small child in her arms.
"That's my mother," John says, suddenly appearing behind Rosalie, making her jump. "Sorry," he says, smiling a bit. Rosalie shakes her head a bit.
"Your mother was beautiful," Rosalie says, honestly, and John smiles.
"A few pictures are really all I have left of either of my parents. That's my dad," he says, pointing out another picture. Rosalie can't help but notice how much John resembles his father.
"You look like him," Rosalie says to him. "I don't have any pictures of my mother. I'd give…anything to have one. It's not like I need one though. I remember almost everything about her. How she looked, the way she smiled, I even remember how she smelled. Her voice though… I can't remember that for the life of me. All I have left of her is this necklace," Rosalie says, holding up the pendant of her mother's necklace, "and a bracelet that Selina has."
"What about your dad?" John asks, and the warmth that Rosalie's eyes held while talking about her mother vanishes and they darken with anger.
"My father," Rosalie says, moving away from John and standing in front of the window, looking out at the city lights, chuckling darkly. "My father stopped being my father when my mother died."
John stays silent, watching her from his place in front of the shelf containing the pictures of his parents.
"I technically lied when I said that both of my parents are dead. My father is still alive, but he's dead to me in all intents and purposes," Rosalie says quietly.
"What do you mean?" John asks, leaning against the wall. Rosalie glances over at him and sighs.
"When my mother was walking home from work one night, she was jumped by a few guys. They tried mugging her, but she fought back. My mother never was one to back down from anything, ever. I guess that's where my sister and I get our attitudes from," Rosalie starts, breathing out a laugh. "My father didn't show Selina and I that he was worried when mom didn't come home, and we didn't find out what happened two days later when a woman found my mother's body in an alley behind a dumpster. My father… shut down. Completely. Selina and I didn't see much of him for a while after that. He'd either be at work, with other women, or holed up in his room. He'd pay the bills for our apartment, sure, but any left over money was spent at strip clubs, or alcohol. We eventually started running out of food, so Selina dropped out of school to get a job to buy things for herself and me. She was only fourteen at the time so it wasn't easy, but she did it. During this time, Selina basically became mom to me. She would make sure I went to school, that I did my homework, she did everything for me. She always put me before herself. Hell, she still does," Rosalie says with a small smile and shakes her head a bit.
"When I was eleven Selina was shipped off to women's correctional for something… I don't know what she did. I never asked. I still don't want to know. She was sixteen at the time, and that left me alone with my father. It wasn't too bad for a while. I had a neighbor that would look after me a bit. Eventually daddy dearest started spending more and more time at home, getting wasted every night, going to work hung over," Rosalie continues with an eye roll. The words just continued to spill out of Rosalie's mouth, but she finds that with each thing she tells John, she feels a little bit better. "My father was a very…vocal drunk. He always had something cruel to say to me when he was wasted beyond belief. Then when I was thirteen… the physical abuse started. I never fully understood how a father could put hands on their own daughter," Rosalie shakes her head with a scoff. "I'll never understand. Selina took me away when I was sixteen. The last time I saw my father was when I went into his room to take my mother's necklace and bracelet for my sister an I. He was passed out, but as far as I know, he never tried looking for us. Doesn't surprise me."
John steps forward and puts a comforting hand on Rosalie's shoulder. Rosalie smiles a bit and puts one of her hands on John's. He gently pulls her backwards a bit and turns her around, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Rosalie returns the embrace with a bit of hesitation, and rests her head on his chest.
"Thank you, for telling me all of that. It couldn't have been easy," he whispers, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
"It was actually easier than you think. I guess I just needed to get it out. You're the first person besides my sister that knows any of that," Rosalie mutters back. Rosalie looks up at John, who stares back into her chocolate brown eyes. John slowly brings a hand up and rests it on the side of Rosalie's neck, and softly caresses her jawbone with his thumb. John begins to lean down a bit, and Rosalie allows her eyes to slowly slide shut.
The pair is interrupted when the door to the bathroom opens and shuts and Rosalie steps away from John a bit and turns her gaze back out the window. John sighs, and runs a hand through his hair, annoyed.
Gordon walks back into the living room, unaware of what he's just interrupted and looks at Rosalie when he sits down.
"You're sure there's nothing else you can tell us?" Gordon asks, and Rosalie turns around to face him. She casually walks over and sits back in her place on the couch and leans back. She drapes one arm across the back of the couch and sighs.
"I'm a really selfish person. The only other person I've ever really looked out for is my sister. What Bane's planning wouldn't affect us positively. If I knew anything else for sure, I'd let you know," Rosalie says, seriously. Gordon nods and lets out a wide yawn. "I should go, so you guys can sleep."
"Stay here tonight," John says, and Rosalie cocks an eyebrow. "Now that everything's started, I wouldn't feel right if I let you go back to your apartment where you'd be alone. Stay here with us."
"That's not a good idea," Rosalie says, standing up and heading to the door. John quickly walks over to her and grabs her arm.
"Stop being so damn stubborn," he says. "They took you once Rosalie, who's stopping them from doing it again?"
Rosalie sighs, exasperated, making John smile a bit.
"You can take my bed. Just…stay," John says. Rosalie hesitates for a few moments, and glances at the door. She sighs again, and finally nods.
"Just tonight," Rosalie says, and John smirks.
"Sure," he says simply. John places a hand on Rosalie's back and leads her down the small hallway to his room. He walks to his dresser and pulls out a simple gray t-shirt and hands it to Rosalie. "You can sleep in this if you want."
Rosalie smiles a bit and nods. "Thank you," she says, and walks out of John's bedroom, and heads to the bathroom. She shuts the door behind her and strips out of her clothes and pulls on John's shirt that only manages to reach her mid-thigh. Rosalie glances at herself in the mirror and leans closer to observe the marks on her neck. She traces her fingers over the bruises, flinching a bit when the picture of the Batman, lying broken on the floor in the sewers crosses her mind.
Rosalie closes her eyes and shakes her head a bit, and gathers up her clothes in her arms, and exits the bathroom. She turns the bathroom light off and walks back to John's room where she finds him making a small pallet on the floor out of blankets. Rosalie raises an eyebrow and leans on the doorframe with her arms crossed, watching him, amused.
John glances up, and does a double take when he sees Rosalie, leaning on the doorway in only his t-shirt. John swallows hard, and clears his throat. Rosalie notices John's reaction to her, and hides a smirk. Rosalie glances at the blankets on the floor and looks back at John, questioningly.
"I told you that you could have my bed tonight," John explains.
"You're going to sleep on the floor?" Rosalie asks, a laugh bubbling up in her throat.
"Well, yeah," John says, and Rosalie bites the inside of her cheek to hide a smile.
Rosalie climbs into John's bed and leans back against the pillows and watches as he attempts to get comfortable on the floor. Rosalie clenches her jaw, trying to keep from laughing, but ultimately fails.
"What?" John asks, looking up at her.
"John, you don't have to sleep on the floor. That's ridiculous," Rosalie says, through her laughter.
"It's fine," he says.
"No, it's not. I feel awful commandeering your bed like this. If anything, I should be sleeping on the floor," Rosalie says.
"No, you're a guest, and I offered it to you," John says. Rosalie rolls her eyes.
"And you call me stubborn," Rosalie mutters, lying down fully. John gets up and turns the light off in his room, and lies back down on the floor. Rosalie lays in the dark, looking up at the ceiling listening to John move around on the floor. "You know, your backs probably going to hurt tomorrow. That won't really help you if you're out there trying to fight crime and all that."
"You're not going to give up are you?" John asks after a moment of silence.
"Not in my nature," Rosalie says, and John sighs and gets up off of the floor and walks to the other side of the bed and climbs in, covering himself with the blanket. John looks over at Rosalie who has her eyes trained on the ceiling.
"Rosalie?" John asks quietly, and Rosalie looks over at him. "I'm sorry about your sister."
"Like you said, you were just doing your job," Rosalie mutters. "I get it. Really. Don't worry about it John. It's not like she's going to be in there much longer anyway."
John tenses a bit when Rosalie says this and sighs.
"Sorry," Rosalie apologizes for bringing it up. John shakes his head a bit, and Rosalie closes her eyes. "Goodnight, John."
John looks over at Rosalie, and stares at her for a few moments.
"Goodnight, Rosalie."
-IWRU-
The next morning, Rosalie, John, and Gordon find themselves in front of the TV when Bane appears on the screen.
"Do you recognize any of them besides Bane?" Gordon asks Rosalie from next to her on the couch.
"Um," Rosalie thinks, while looking at the few men on the screen. She nods when she spies Barsad next to Bane. "Yeah, him. His name is like… Benjamin, or Baldric, or Betsy or something."
"Behind you stands a symbol of oppression; Blackgate Prison, where a thousand men have languished under the name of this man," Bane says, holding up a picture of Harvey Dent. "Harvey Dent, who has been held up to you as the shining example of justice."
"We're just going to keep moving you until we can get you in front of a camera," John says to Gordon, but Gordon says nothing as he and Rosalie keep their eyes focused on the TV.
"You have been supplied with a false idol to stop you from tearing down this corrupt city. Let me tell you the truth about Harvey Dent from the words of Gotham's police commissioner, James Gordon. 'The Batman didn't murder Harvey Dent, he saved my boy then took the blame for Harvey's appalling crimes so that I could, to my shame, build a lie around this fallen idol. I praised the mad man who tried to murder my own child but I can no longer live with my lie. It is time to trust the people of Gotham with the truth and it is time for me to resign.' And do you accept this man's resignation? Do you accept the resignation of all these liars? Of all the corrupt?" Bane says, reading from a stack of papers allegedly written by Jim Gordon.
Rosalie furrows her eyebrows and looks at Gordon in surprise and disbelief.
"Those men locked up for eight years in Blackgate, and denied parole under the Dent Act, based on a lie?" John asks Gordon, walking to the couch and standing behind Rosalie.
"Gotham needed a hero...," Gordon mutters.
"It needs it now more than ever. You betrayed everything you stood for," John says, placing his hands on the back of the couch. Rosalie looks at the floor, deep in thought.
'He's right. Gotham does need a hero now more than ever,' Rosalie thinks to herself, biting her bottom lip.
"There's a point, far out there when the structures fail you, and the rules aren't weapons anymore, they're... shackles letting the bad guy get ahead. One day... you may face such a moment of crisis. And in that moment, I hope you have a friend like I did, to plunge their hands into the filth so that you can keep yours clean!" Gordon exclaims, turning fiercely to face John.
"Your hands look plenty filthy to me, Commissioner," John says to Gordon, and Rosalie turns her attention back to the television.
"We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and we give it back to you... the people. Gotham is yours. None shall interfere. Do as you please. Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed! Step forward those who would serve. For and army will be raised. The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests, and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed. The police will survive, as they learn to serve true justice. This great city... it will endure. Gotham will survive!"
-IWRU-
A/N: Now we get into the more serious stuff. The Black Swan will be making more and more appearances from this point on. I hope you liked this chapter! The next one will be out sooner than this one was hopefully.
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