Ugh. I am not at ALL happy with the way this chapter turned out. Bruce and Alfred seem OOC to me, and everything's a little jumpy around the middle when Michelle comes back in. Not to mention it's way short.
My deepest and most sincere apologies, loyal alerters. The next chapter will be better.
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Batman, or any works relating to such. I take sole ownership of Evelyn, Michelle and Isaac.
The soft humming and the smooth ride of the Batmobile lulled me into a faux slumber as Batman drove me home. I'm not sure how many times I dozed off, but one moment we were still driving, then the next he was lifting me out of my seat. After lying me on a table in what I assumed to be the Batcave, he vanished for several minutes. I dozed off again, because he had to shake me a little to wake me up.
"I'm going to give you a sedative," he said in a low voice. I didn't complain, because I really just wanted to go back to sleep. I barely felt him inject the syringe into my arm, but I knew he had because moments later I was thrown into blissful darkness.
Bruce removed his mask, setting it on the table next to him. He gathered Evelyn into his arms and headed back for the elevator. Alfred met him by the piano.
"How is she, sir?" he asked as Bruce walked past him, heading for Evelyn's room.
"Uninjured," he answered.
"And you, sir?"
Bruce didn't answer as he pushed open the room's door. He gently deposited her onto the bed, brining the cover up around her neck. He ran his gloved hand across her forehead and pushed several locks of her scarlet hair out of her face.
"She has to leave, Alfred," said the billionaire as he exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Excuse me, sir?" Alfred asked, genuinely shocked.
"She has to leave," Bruce repeated, heading back for the Batcave to change out of his Batsuit. "It's too dangerous now. Evelyn can't stay here any longer; you know that."
"I do, Master Wayne," began the butler, "but I'm certain if you just-" Bruce interjected.
"There's nothing I can do, Alfred," he asseverated. "I can't let her stay at Wayne Manor when Joker knows she's living here. She can't know I'm Batman because that would put her in even more danger. The only solution is to have her leave. Arrange her a flight to Ireland. Her parents live there." He pulled off the remainder of his suit, throwing it onto the ground. Alfred sighed dispiritedly.
"Yes, sir," he said. "Though there is one thing I'm not sure I quite understand."
"And what would that be, Alfred?" questioned Bruce as he jerked a black tee-shirt over his head.
"If you care about Miss Larrabee as much as you let on," he began, "then why are you so insistent on making her leave?" Bruce sighed, sitting down hard on a chair.
"It's because I care about her, Alfred," he said, resting his head on his hands. "It's because I care about her that she has to leave. She's in too much danger here, and I can't…I won't let her life be threatened like that again." Alfred was silent for several moments before he turned.
"I'll arrange the flight, sir," he said as he reentered the elevator.
I can say I was more than shocked when Alfred told me the next morning that my parents had called, wanting me to come visit them for a month or more. My parents hadn't wanted me to visit since two years ago, on my grandmother's eighty-fifth birthday, and that had gone terribly wrong when my uncle Ripley had had a seizure after my aunt's kids had set off fire-crackers.
"Everything's been arranged, miss," Alfred told me from the doorway of my room. I was so aghast that my mouth was beginning to dry from being hung open so long. I finally shut it, my mind still tumbling over thoughts as to why my parent's wanted me to visit.
"When do I leave?" I managed to ask as I pulled myself out of bed, throwing the comforter onto the floor.
"This afternoon, miss. You should be in Ireland by seven tomorrow morning," Alfred replied. I nearly tripped over my own feet as I stumbled to a stop.
"This afternoon?!" I said. "What am I supposed to tell Michelle? Oh shit, I should call Michelle!!" I ran to my pants from yesterday, digging in the pocket to find my cell phone.
"I know it's all incredibly sudden, miss," Alfred was saying as I punched in Michelle's number. "But your parents seemed insistent that you visit. I believe you could do with a vacation away from Gotham, after last night's escapade." As I waited for Michelle to pick up her phone, I recounted the previous night's events. Something struck me suddenly, and I had just turned to ask Alfred about it when my best friend answered.
"Eve!" was her first word. "Where in the world have you been?! I haven't been able to get a hold of your apartment for ages! I even tried your cell phone and you didn't pick up!! I was so worried about you!!"
"I'm staying with Wayne," I said as casually as I could. I could hear her stifled gasp on the other end of the phone.
"Bruce Wayne?" she said in awe.
"The one and only," I replied, pulling out a pair of khaki cargos and one of Isaac's old shirts from the closet to wear. "Come up to the mansion and I'll explain everything."
"Oh, you'd better!" Michelle said, giggling. Then she hung up and I turned back to Alfred. He had disappeared during my phone call. I dressed quickly, then rushed downstairs to find him before my scatterbrain made me forget my question.
How did a certain masked vigilante know who I was? More importantly, know where I lived?
I skipped down the stairs, two at a time, my sore knee feeling much better, and skidded into the foyer, heading for the noises in the kitchen.
"Alfred?" I called as I opened the door. "Oh."
"I heard your parents called," Bruce said from where he stood, stirring his mug of coffee. I nodded.
"I was looking for Alfred," I said, folding my arms across my chest, "but you must know, too."
"Know what?"
"How exactly Batman knew who I was, where I was being held captive, and where I was staying. I know I didn't sleepwalk from his Batcave back to here."
"How am I supposed to know that?" Bruce asked as he walked past me and into the foyer.
"Well weren't you here when he brought me back? Aren't you the one who called him to come and save me? Didn't you talk to him at all?"
"I was here, but he didn't come inside. In fact," Bruce paused to think. "I didn't even see him. And I called the police, not him, to rescue you." I was about to add more when the doorbell rang.
"She must've drove like a demon to get here so quickly," I said quietly, turning and rushing back toward the door. I swung it open and was immediately latched onto by my chestnut haired friend.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Eve!" she cried, releasing me. "You have, have, have to tell me everything that's happened!" She stopped short, looking past me at Bruce. "I can't believe I'm actually in his house!" she whispered to me in sheer awe.
"This way," I said, giving the billionaire a quick smile before I trudged upstairs, Michelle right behind me. I pulled her into my room, shutting the door. She instantly bombarded me with questions.
"How did you get out of jail? Why are you staying with Wayne? Did he bail you out? Why? I mean, he's not the type! Oh! Are you two having a-…"
"Michelle, Michelle!" I said, holding up my hands against her words. "Slow down! I can't answer all of that at once!" She burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth with her hands. I waited for her to calm, then folded my arms across my chest.
"Sorry, Eve, sorry," she said, pushing a strand of curly brown hair behind her ear. "Seriously! How did you get out of jail? I mean, they had you on attempted murder charges!" I sighed in frustration.
"False charges!" I said, throwing my hands in the air. "I didn't shoot Mister Earle!"
"Then how'd you get out?" Michelle asked, eyes wide in anticipation.
"Guess," was all I said. She sat in thought for a moment, brushing her fingers against her lips languidly. Her head snapped up suddenly.
"Eve, you didn't!" she said, aghast. I nodded, grinning.
I've known Michelle since middle school, and we've never had secrets. Ever. So of course I knew I could trust her with my biggest secret of all.
"I used alchemy."
Thanks for reading! 8D