Wow! I really was not expecting to get so many hits! Especially on a story that I haven't updated since 2013!
Anyway, thank you for the support! I'll try to publish at least one chapter per week :D
It would also be awesome to have a beta-reader!
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
Aria knew that unless she answered his question, she would be stuck here, in a creepy and dark cave of one of her favorite characters. She had no problem with telling him the comic book industry, but she did have a problem with how much information she should tell.
Swallowing the last of her food and taking a few gulps from the water, she figured that now was better than any other time.
"Well?" Impatience dripped from Bruce's voice, "Are you ready?"
"Now that you're pressuring me I don't want to tell you" Aria snapped. Bruce was unimpressed; as, after all, he was living with Damian. "Anyway," Aria casually crossed one leg over the other, "Where I come from you, Alfred, Joker, everybody else is in a comic book called Batman."
She took a pause before shaking her head, "Well, technically no. It first started as a comic book called Detective Comics. As time went on, it was changed to Batman. Eventually, Batman became a pop culture icon and movies started to come out along with tv shows. In fact, Batman and Superman has become an American cultural icon."
Bruce leaned in with one hand under his chin, processing the information, "You mean, that in your universe, there are millions of people who know of my secret identity?"
She nodded, "I know everything. I know the Robins, Batgirls, Joker's history, weaknesses and strengths. I can figure out what drives a superhero or villain. I even know of other characters that come from other universes like this one called Ea—"
"Earth-2?"
"Yes!" Snapping at him, "Don't interrupt me while I'm telling my story!" Huffing, and trying not to be intimidated under his gaze, searching for any traces of lies. "There is one thing that I am not certain of…"
"Go on…?
"Well remember how I said that I know so much of you and everyone else?"
Bruce nodded, not particularly liking the fact that this teenage girl had secret information of not just him but all superheroes.
"Well that's the thing, each different comic, show, or movie follows their own plot" Aria tried to explain how her world treated the multi-verse that is DC. "Like! Okay, so there is this one cartoon show called Batman Beyond! And in there, you are old and there is a new Batman and he's—" At this point Bruce rose his hand to stop her.
"The less I know of the future the better it is" He wasn't sure how he felt to know that the Batman was still needed in the future, however, he had other pressing concerns to attend to than to worry about a maybe future. "How did you get here?" Bruce asked.
Aria swallowed. "Well I got a comic book. The first appearance of you. When I touched it, these beams came out and boom. I was zapped into Gotham city."
An awkward silence filled the room until Bruce cleared his throat, "People from other worlds is not new here, as Power Girl comes from Earth-2 but, people from other words where we are the issues of a comic book is new."
Leaning back on his chair, placing a hand on his forehead, "You understand that now you cannot leave here. If you were brought here, you were brought here for a purpose and until I can figure out who brought you here. Right now, you contain sensitive information that can put anyone at risk."
Aria was bored at his lecture. Of course, she knew! That is why she came to Bruce in the first place! Or at least tried to.
"Can I ask you a question?" It was Aria's turn to put Bruce on the spot. Taking his silence as a go-to, "Who is here?"
"What do you mean?" Of course, Bruce, the Batman, would never make anything easy.
"I mean," scowling, "Is Tim here? Dick? Barbara? Stephanie—" At the mention of her name Bruce became stiff.
"Right now, only Tim and Damian live here. Sometimes just Damian as Tim still has his own home."
Frowning, Aria was about to ask about the other members, yet, Bruce stood up and extended his hand towards Aria, "You should go to bed. I'll walk you to the room, and just drop the clothes in the laundry basket. Alfred will pick it up tomorrow."
She took his hand as he helped her walk out of the cave, a bit annoyed that he did not answer her question.
"What if Damian or Tim sees me? What should I say?"
"I'll handle that. In the meantime," He opened the door for her to walk in, "Good night. If anything should happen, just yell, you're close to my room" With that Bruce closed her now new bedroom door, allowing her to settle.
"Drake"
"Nhh"
"Drake!" Damian whispered harsher and louder, causing Tim to lift the sides of the pillows to cover his ears. "What?" He muffled. Not really caring how the youngest one got into his room or why he was currently in his room.
"I heard voices, Drake" Damian poked at a certain sensitive spot under Tim's arm pit.
"Congratulations Damian, you figured out that you live with other people."
Damian scowled, "No you idiot! I heard a female's voice"
At this Tim bolted up, throwing the pillow to the floor, "What do you mean Damian?"
"Oh, now you care" Huffed, Damian made himself comfy on Tim's bed by sitting cross legged. Tim reached over to turn on the small lamp that was by the bed side, allowing him to see Damian. "Did it sound like…?"
The youngest bird shook his head, "No. It doesn't sound anything like her and that's gross" he wrinkled his nose, "Whatever affections you two have for each other keep it away from me."
Tim, cold faced and slightly disappointed, "Maybe Bruce brought someone home. Maybe, she is who the room Alfred was working on earlier."
"Why would father bring a stranger, during the night into the house and not tell me?" Damian does not pout, or at least he believes that he does not but not even Tim could help but bring a small smile.
"Jealous?"
"Of a random person? No!" Glaring at Tim, "Though, we should investigate the matter."
"What happened to 'not wanting to upset father'?" Mimicking Damian's voice which brought a small pillow flown to his chest. "Besides, Alfred told us not to worry about it until the morning, you brat."
"How am I supposed to sleep with a stranger in the house?" Empathized Damian.
"Now you know how I felt" Tim muttered, blocking another pillow attack with his forearms. "If, it matters to you so much, then you go and check it out."
"Dr—"
"I'm trying to sleep before Alfred wakes us up in….Oh, I don't know, four more hours or so."
Rejected, perhaps a little bit hurt, Damian opened his mouth once more only for Tim to hiss at him to leave. Damian could have slammed the door nicer, or maybe not at all slammed it. He could have not stomped. Damian was still, after all, a ten-year-old.
"Fine, Drake" Damian entered his room to gather some weapons and such for he did not know who or what was in the room, "But never say that I never invite you to anything with me."
'I should probably shower considering I just came out of a dumpster'
The room, just like every other room had everything that a person needed, almost like a studio. It came with its own bathroom with a shower and toilet. Sheets and blankets with pillows already on the bed. Either Alfred left some towels or there was an extra towel stash somewhere.
When she opened a dresser, thinking that the extra clothes that would possibly fit her was there, instead she found pads.
"Oh! Right! Cass lives here!" Aria sighed, of course there would be menstruation products, "Then where are the…?" To the left was where the pile of clothes that Alfred had placed on a chair. Going through the pile, hoping to find anything that could possibly fit her. "I wonder if these belong to Cass? I'll never fit her clothes. She's very thin."
Finally settling on simple black yoga pants and a purple with lime green splashes shirt. She hugged the towel and clothes with one hand, using the other to open the bathroom door.
"Oh, come on!" Aria grumbled, "It even comes with soap, shampoo and conditioner? What the hell? Does he just expect someone to always be here?"
Rolling her eyes as she threw her dirty clothes into the basket, "Weirdo."
Aria stepped into the shower, a bit annoyed that the shampoo was a scent that she did not particularly enjoy; yet, she could not complain as being inside a rich man's home was better than being in the dumpster.
'I guess I'll have to make the best of it and get ready for tomorrow, but for the plus side I might get to meet Tim Drake!'
"Damian what are you doing?!"
"Finally decided to come out of your sulk ridden room, Drake?"
"I can't sleep when I know you're up to no good," Tim grimaced, "Why do you have the staff with you?" Tim grabbed onto it preventing Damian from entering the room.
"For protection, are you that idiotic?" Damian snapped the staff out of Tim's grasp as he slammed the door open, prepared for anything that would be waiting. The water drowned out the sound so Aria was oblivious.
"Shower it is then"
"WOAH!" Tim, this time grabbed hold onto the back of Damian's shirt, "Look, there are girl clothes. She's taking a shower!"
"So?" Damian calmly asked, a bit annoyed at being stopped a second time.
"What do you mean by so?!" Tim used his free hand to smack his forehead, "Are you really that obtuse? We're strange boys about to barge in a girl showering?"
Shaking off Tim's grasp, "Whatever Western ideas you have of the female form does not apply to me. I have no problem with the naked body, female or otherwise. Why does it matter?"
Tim blinked, boggled and astonished, "Damian you can't—"
During the bickering time, Aria finished her shower, including conditioner and she was out in her towel going through the medicine cabinet, "Where are the moistures? Lotions? Come on, you have stocked conditioner but no—"
Damian stomped over to the shower, gripping onto the handle, swinging it open "WHO ARE YOU?!" he howled with his staff out, ready to attack. Aria let out a blood inducing shriek, not expecting the intrusion (especially in her towel) nor a weapon pointed at her.
"DAMIAN!— OH I'M SORRY!" Tim's cheeks went red as he turned around covering his eyes, "I'm sorry!"
Bruce, of course, just as he was about to fall asleep jumped at the cries coming from Aria's room. After all, he did pick the empty room that was close to him, "Damn!" Getting up and putting on a white shirt as he normally slept in only pants, "I thought I had more time…"
"Miss Aria?" Alfred's voice spoke as he knocked on the door, too much of a gentleman to just walk in even though it was wide open. He was dressed in pajamas, striped pink and gray, "Is everything alright? I heard shouts…A lot of them."
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Once Aria found her voice, holding tightly onto the towel as if it would fall at any moment.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Damian, completely not caring or unaware of the uproar that he caused.
Alfred, recognizing Damian's voice entered the room, "Master Damian!" Alfred rarely rose his voice, however, it was enough for Damian to visibly shake. Alfred quickly put two and two together as Tim was standing at the entrance of the bathroom with his hands over his eyes and cheeks red, "Master Timothy? What is the meaning of this? Breaking into a lady's room!" Alfred scowled.
"We can't have one night's rest, can we?" Came Bruce's grumbling and displeased tone, "What have we got here?"
"It seems that Master Damian and Master Timothy took it upon themselves to break into Miss Aria's room." Alfred crossed his arms, showing a stern face, "And here I thought you were the Playboy Master Bruce."
"Somebody tell me why there's a stranger here!" Damian, annoyed by her not answering his question.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE WHEN I'M IN THE SHOWER?!"
"Technically, you finished showering. So you're not in the shower." Damian huffed, "Are you stupid that you can't tell the difference?"
"GET OUT!"
Bruce sighed, leaning against the door frame, "This was not how I expected it to go…"
"Really, Master Bruce?" Sarcastically, Alfred turned to Bruce, "You mean this was not what you had planned?"