"Bruce, oh my gosh!" Harri said to Bruce in the morning upon seeing him in the kitchen.
"Harri," Bruce said as they hugged.
"I had no idea you were coming back today!" Harri said.
Bruce smiled at her. "It's good to be back."
Harri kissed the top of Arsenio's head as he sat at his high chair.
"How are you? Did everything go well?" Harri asked, not mentioning rehab in front of Arsenio.
"It...went, and now I am home," Bruce said vaguely.
Harri picked up a glass and poured herself a glass of orange juice and looked at the Joker.
"Good morning, Jack," Harri said, almost laughing.
"Good morning," he said to her.
"Funny?" Arsenio asked Harri.
"No, no," Harri said and kissed Arsenio again. "I was just thinking of a funny story Jack told me last night."
Neither the Jack or Harri knew that Arsenio had overheard them talking in the hall the previous night and that he had understood some of what they said. That Jack was his biological father. That his name used to be...'Joker'. Arsenio didn't know what biological meant but he knew that Bruce was his father..but still he wanted to understand what this meant. And Arsenio had no understanding of why Harri though the name 'Joker' was so bad. All that Arsenio knew what that jokes were meant to be funny and were good. He wondered about these things but above all he was happy to see his father again. Bruce being home was the best and most important thing that could have happened.
Arsenio heard the sound of a glass break. Harri had dropped her glass of juice after seeing Adriana's face.
"Oh my...go-" Harri said and looked lightheaded. "What the hell..happened?"
"Mommy okay" Arsenio explained. The wound on his mother's face was terrible but she had assured Arsenio for nearly an hour the previous night and another hour earlier that morning that she was okay.
"I'm fine, Harri, just an accident," Adriana said. "The doctor already took care of this last night so it's all patched up."
"Someone sliced your face open!" Harri exclaimed. "Who? Who did that?"
"Harri," Adriana said, taking Harri's arms gently. "I will explain later."
"No! Now!" Harri said, unable to take her eyes off the stitches.
"Harri," Bruce said, coming behind Harri. "Come with me. I will explain."
Harri seemed to calm down after hearing Bruce's voice. He spoke very calmly and evenly. As though he had a logical explanation for everything. Harri went with him, constantly looking back at Adriana and the enormous stitched wound on her face.
Adriana knelt and began to pick up the pieces of glass. After picking up a couple of pieces she Jack was kneeling beside her and helping her.
"Thanks," she said.
Arsenio watched them gathering the glass on the floor. Arsenio could tell that something was bothering his mom. She seemed stressed. He noticed his mother become slightly more nervous as Jack knelt beside her. She began gathering the glass more quickly. So quickly that she cut herself. Arsenio watched the blood spilling from her finger and watched her continuing to pick up shards of glass as though the cut didn't even happen. He then saw Jack take her wrist, gently stopping her.
"Go take care of that," he said. "I'll finish this."
Arsenio watched him take the bits of glass she had collected from her hand and saw her look at the cut for a moment. She then looked into Jack's eyes. Seconds went by and they gazed. It was as though they had forgotten everything around them. Arsenio tried to understand it. It was as though they some something in each other that he could not. Something that made their eyes sparkle, even though their expressions didn't change.
"Thanks," Adriana said, finally thanking Jack again, before standing and leaving to go find a bandage.
.
.
.
"Bruce, why won't any of you really tell me what the hell is going on?" Harri said. "So what Jack told me last night is true? He's the Joker, you're Batman and my sister is Shade? That's the best story you can come up with?"
They were in his office and Bruce decided that it was time to finally come clean about everything, since Jack had already told her about his past the previous night. And even though she had not believed any of it, he was sure that hearing it from someone else would convince her.
"You're going to lunch with Lucius later today," Bruce said. "He will confirm that what I am telling you is true."
"I'm not buying this, Bruce," Harri said. "Especially not about Adriana...she can't even fight!"
"I assure you she can and she is very good at what she does," Bruce said. "Lucius will show you some evidence. My suit. Some of my equipment-"
"If you're the Batman.." Harri said. "That means you killed Harvey Dent."
"I did," Bruce said.
Harri sat down. "You did?"
"He had lost his mind and was about to kill a child," Bruce said. "I had to save the child's life."
"But I've heard so much about Dent," Harri said, shaking her head. "He was a great man. One of the best Gotham has ever seen and everyone respected him-"
"And they will continue to respect him. And they will have hope," Bruce said. "Hope that this city can produce respectful and benevolent leaders."
"So, you're taking the fall for him? To give the people of Gotham hope?" Harri asked.
"Yes," Bruce said.
"So...you've quit being the Batman," Harri said.
"For now," he said. "There are forces working against me. I need to figure out who they are. It is complicated but all I can say is that, I am sure in time, the Batman will return."
Harri blinked.
"And my sister..." Harri said, finally realizing that he may have been telling the truth. "All the...running out for errands and leaving in the middle of the night.."
"Yes," Bruce said. "She is very busy keeping the city safe."
"You said forces were working against you? What about her?" she asked.
"They are able to work against me because they know who I am," Bruce explained. "They know my identity. It's the only way they are able to harass me and threaten me into submission for now. They've turned the city against me.I am praying that they don't discover who she is. But for now, they do not know who she is and that is keeping her safe. It's also possible that they do not see her as much of a threat because she is a woman. She doesn't use much advanced machinery and equipment. I always have. She does not even have a vehicle. She's used taxis, trains, buses and such. They also haven't been able to trap her yet. Like they did with me and Dent. They haven't been able to turn the city against her."
"Why did Dent...lose his mind? It doesn't make sense-" Harri asked.
"The Joker," Bruce said. "Manipulated him very well."
"And you're telling me that Jack is the Joker," Harri said.
"Yes," Bruce said. "Well...was the Joker. Was."
Harri shook her head. "I can believe what you're telling me about you and Adriana but...Jack? I think...you're mistaken. I don't see how-"
"It is true," Bruce said. "Unfortunately."
Harri kept shaking her head. "Do you have any proof? You said there's proof Lucius can show me about you and Adriana. But do you have proof of him being the Joker?"
Bruce knew that there was none. All the evidence had been destroyed. There was nothing.
"No," Bruce said.
"Can't you get his prints from the police or something?" Harri asked.
"The prints won't be a match. Facial recognition won't match him. Everything has been wiped," Bruce told her.
"Well, that's convenient," Harri said.
Bruce couldn't plead with her to believe him. And she could not be swayed.
.
.
.
"Exquisite," Alfred said and Arsenio wrote his name in cursive. At two years old, his penmanship was excellent.
"Thanks," Arsenio said and went on to write his middle name. Thomas.
He thought about his grandparents. He had seen many photos of them.
"Alfred?" Arsenio asked.
"Yes, Arsenio?" Alfred replied.
"What's..." Arsenio said and tried to remember the word Harri said. "Terris?"
"Terrace?" Alfred said and pointed to the window. "Are you able to see the paved area on the ground? That is a terrace."
It didn't make sense. Harri had asked Jack if he was this word. There was no way Jack could have been flat paved squares on the ground.
"Terris..." Arsenio said, again trying to remember. "Terrisis?"
"Terraces?" Alfred asked him.
It didn't sound right to Arsenio. He was remembering it wrong. "Terrorace?"
Alfred blinked.
"Terrorace?" Arsenio said. He was almost sure he was saying it right.
"Arsenio, may I ask," Alfred said very calmly. "Where did you hear this word?"
"It's bad word?" Arsenio asked.
"No," Alfred told him. "It is not a form of swearing, if that is what you are asking."
"It's...nice word?" Arsenio asked.
"It does not describe something nice," Alfred said. "But it is not a swear word."
"What's terrorace?" Arsenio asked.
"I'm afraid that it is another one of the words that you will need to learn when you are much older, " Alfred said. "Master Arsenio."
.
.
.
"You've been avoiding me," Bruce said. He was behind Adriana as she pulled towels out of the dryer.
"I'm not," Adriana said. "I'm just busy...we have two guests."
"I'm sure Jack and Harri will not mind if a maid brings their fresh towels," Bruce said and walked over beside her.
Adriana stood up straight and looked at Bruce.
"You are angry with me," he said.
"I'm not angry," Adriana said. "I'm...upset...and worried...and disappointed. And you've made it very clear that you don't care about any of that."
"You can't possibly think that I don't care about how you feel," Bruce said.
"You won't go back to rehab." Adriana said.
"I cannot go anywhere right now," Bruce said. "You told me what the Catwoman was threatening-"
"Yes," Adriana said. "And you've increased security. And Jack is here all the time. He said he's going to stay. Our baby is safe. I need you to be safe too."
"I am safe," Bruce said to her. "I've told you, I have been clean this entire time. It has not been easy, especially doing it on my own but I was sure that I would heal better and work through this much easier without being in a rehab facility surrounded by people who recognized me as the billionaire businessman."
"You have to go back," Adriana said.
"I cannot do that-" Bruce said.
"Then I meant what I said," she told him. "We're already quietly faking a divorce petition in hopes that the Catwoman will relay it to her people and finally leave me and Arsenio out of this. But perhaps this divorce should be real."
"You don't mean that, Adriana," Bruce said.
"I need you to know that I am serious," Adriana said. "You keep lying to me, how can I believe that you're clean now?"
"Adriana-" Bruce said but she cut him off.
"I'm busy," she said. "Sidi and Aymara are coming over soon and I have to make lunch. Excuse me."