Disclaimer: not mine
Lex was spending the morning working on his office. He had a busy political agenda coming up. He was satisfied; minor contingencies aside, the week had not been that bad, after all.
He had read the news: Cat Grant's interview with Lois Lane, apology included, had been celebrated with champagne. Lois had placed the noose on her neck all by herself and he had enjoyed every word of that interview. Now Lois would have to be careful next time, if her paper allowed her to be in another rally.
With Lois out of play and Clark too scared to confront him in case he popped out the big secret, he doubted there would be any problems coming from the press. Nevertheless, the campaign act had served its purpose: he was on the spotlight, and all concerns of the press would be his lust for power.
He smiled to himself. Let them think he really cared about political power, that the White House was a goal, not just a means to an end.
He turned his attention towards more important matters. The subject was stable and safe in the new location. So far, the plan was intact. News from Gotham were not bad either. It seemed as if whoever found the body fed the press with a fake story. A tragic death striking the head of Gotham's police department. Some payback, it seemed. So, let them think that. His team had informed him that every evidence was wiped out, and whatever information she might had uploaded was gone; all hardware had been damaged beyond repair. Nothing would tie him to the crime, and no trace would be followed.
Good.
He hated loose ends.
Dead ends. All Bruce could find were dead ends. He hadn't finished decrypting the information sent by Barbara and still had no lead to follow, only a few hunches to direct his research. That guilt he saw on his face. It came from somewhere.
Bruce checked his monitor again. Still a few hours left to access the data. Then his eyes focused on something else. A reflection on the screen. Someone had entered the cave. "Found anything?"
Bruce turned his head. Dick's tone unveiled his impatience. He was not in control.
"Go home, Dick. Get some rest."
"It doesn't feel like home anymore," he said with his broken husky voice.
Bruce looked at Dick in silence. Whatever words he said to him the day he lost his parents were not going to work now.
"I'll have Alfred prepare your old room," he said, bowing his head in a nod.
"I don't want to sleep, Bruce, I want to take them down."
"You won't do anything now, Dick, you're too emotionally attached. Go get some rest. You have to be ready for when I need you."
Deep inside, Dick knew he was right. He was always right. Always the cool head to think straight. However, there was something else concerning him. "I heard Green Arrow has someone in reserve. I don't think bringing a new Oracle is wise," said Dick.
"Actually, it is the only wise thing the archer has done lately. As painful as it is for you, Oracle is too important to disappear, and her identity must be preserved."
"Is this person getting protection?"
"That is not my concern right now. Ask Oliver."
"I'm asking you, Bruce. Who is the new Oracle?"
"I don't know."
"Liar." Dick remained there for a few seconds. Then turned and started going up the stairs.
"I'm not the only one holding the truth here, Dick." Dick stooped dead on his tracks. "Why wasn't I informed of her condition?" The younger man avoided his gaze, not turning his back. Whether it was to hide his contained rage or his pain, Bruce didn't know.
Dick's shoulders stiffened for a second "You were not her father, Bruce," said Dick. "And would have that changed things?"
There was an uncomfortable silence between them before Bruce answered.
"I would have reinstated surveillance on her."
Somewhere deep inside, Dick found the strength to chuckle at that remark. Bruce would never change. "As if monitoring her the first time worked. She wasn't your responsibility, Bruce. I should've been there. Not you."
"I'm always here, this is my city. And I anticipated this scenario. I had a surveillance system installed in your house before I sold it to you to be activated when the time came."
"You're unbelievable Bruce," said Dick shaking his head in disbelief.
Another silent pause filled the cave. Bruce saw Dick taking another step towards the exit. Then he stopped and turned. Now Bruce could see his face, and it wasn't rage he had been hiding from him. It was devastation and pain.
Dick's voice came softly through his sore throat. "There was a reason you didn't know, Bruce. Barbara wanted to tell you personally. Here, in the batcave, with your costume on." A bitter smile on his face, Dick found the strength once more to beat the lump on his throat. "She had this crazy idea of making Batman smile, if only for once."
Dick looked into Bruce's eyes, trying to see something. A dent on his impenetrable mask, a hint of emotion under all that darkness. Instead he got his blank stare looking back at him.
That look he usually admired and respected, today was like a dagger through his heart. Emotionally defeated, he turned to leave.
"Dick."
This time he didn't look back.
"Barbara was right. I would have smiled."
Bruce didn't see him, but Dick's facial muscles tensed, making whatever movements his brain ordered them to hold back his tears. His lump throat hardly contained, he said one last thing before leaving.
"Had it been a girl, she wanted to call her like your mother."
Barbara never made it to see him smile behind his cowl. For that he would grief for a long time. The fact that she wouldn't see him at that moment, crying like he hadn't done in decades, would maybe lessen that pain some day.
Author's notes: Even if there's a reference in chapter 1 in the scene between Babs and Dick where she says that she's taking measures to take it slow (now we know it's because of her pregnancy) and those measures are to have Ella working with her, I concluded that as professional as Babs is, she would not reveal Ella's identity, not even to Dick, unless Ella wanted her to. So Dick does not know Ella.
Keep enjoying the story, and thanks for reading and for the reviews.
