So Sorry! I know I haven't updated in too long. School and stuff. But I will try and update more.
Making the Best of It
Chapter 7
Gotham City- Late June
Heavy rainfall descended onto the gothic city. Forecast said Gotham was getting a tropical storm with the possibility of turning into a hurricane.
A top of the many gargoyles crouched the Dark Knight Detective himself, almost a part of the statue himself.
The torrential rain crashing down on him didn't bother him. Because he's waiting.
He's hunting.
The Scarecrow has been at large for far too long. And he's been busy. Twelve college students were found dead three days ago.
Cause of death was an organ failure brought on by Crane's signature fear toxin. But a new variation of it.
The police officers and medical examiner that were first on scene of the dead students were sick to their stomachs working the ugly scene.
This new variation of Crane's fear toxin overloads the amygdala, an almond-shaped set of nuclei located in the temporal lobe of the brain, where the fear response first begins. The toxin bombarded the amygdala until it liquified along with the rest of the temporal lobe.
Medical examiner never saw anything like it. The liquified lobe was leaking out of the victims' ears when they were found.
Most likely Crane was testing his new toxin of those poor college students. Possibly Crane was taking repressed anger out on the college students from when he was fired from his teaching job at Gotham University.
This new toxin is highly lethal. The vigilante already has the batcomputer synthesizing an antidote to the toxin. Last he checked the computer was at sixty-six percent of completion.
He should probably wait until he had the antidote before going up against Crane but there has been enough death.
That madman will no longer be free to torment the innocent anymore.
He will not tolerate it any further.
The dark clad man turned his head looking out towards the city. And it looked so lovely.
Aside from the heavy downpour.
His mind turned away from the hunt for a moment and returned to Diana. She has plagued his thoughts a lot lately.
This time it was because of something she told him.
She started bringing up baby names. He knew that they had to decide on a name before their daughter was born. But the way she broached the subject took him off guard.
It's not like she came to him with a list of names to consider. No, she wanted the two of them to discuss it together.
In truth, he hasn't even considered any names since Diana told him she was pregnant. It scared it slightly. His daughter didn't ask to be born. Diana and himself were simply careless when they were together. Brief respites between waves of the horde.
But once she comes into the world, she will have no other choice but to trust him and Diana. They will begin to mold her into the person she will become.
It terrifies him.
And in truth, he wants to do this right. He wants to raise her right. Leave her out of his world. Away from Batman. Because wherever Batman is death and tragedy will surely follow.
Through his failures with the boys, keeping his daughter away from the world of Batman is the only option he has.
Because the other choice was telling Diana to take her away from him and never look back.
But he can't do it. He's sacrificed so much for the mission. He refuses to add his daughter to the casualties list.
Once Crane is apprehended, he will begin ensuring his daughter will have nothing to worry about.
He leaves his thoughts to pursue Crane.
He fired his grapple gun and flew through heavy rain and fifty mile an hour winds into the night.
A Rundown Factory in the Industrial District
Batman managed to track Scarecrow to this abandoned factory. Closed because the company that owned the factory went bankrupt. A lot of that happens in this town.
The vigilante walked down a decrepit hallway with silent footsteps brought on by years of training. He noticed a flickering light fixture in front of a set of double doors.
He walked through them without any hesitation but still highly alert. It was a few minutes of continuing to walk when he started to hear humming.
Closing in on his target for the first time in weeks, Batman marched ahead continuing pursuit. He went through a doorway that lacked a door seeing a single ceiling lamp on hanging above a lab table covered with beakers and tubes.
He stuck to the shadows as he saw the Scarecrow humming to himself gleefully as he mixed chemicals together, completely unaware of his unannounced guest.
Unwilling to take any chances while Crane's close to his chemistry set, Batman picked up a rusted bolt and tossed it towards the west side of the room
CLANK!
The pencil-built professor's head jolted upward as he heard the metallic sound. "Wha-?" He uttered distressed. Having faced Batman multiple times over the years he doesn't take chances and leaves his chemicals to investigate the noise, pulling a flashlight out of a cardboard box on the floor by the table.
The Scarecrow investigated while Batman snuck up behind the mad scientist.
That was the plan until Crane spun on his heel and stabbed his syringe claws on his hand into Batman's abdomen.
"Argh!" Batman released a cry of pain.
"Ha ha!" Crane laughed. "Don't think I'm as predictable as you think, Batman!" his sadistic laughter echoed in the room.
The dark clad man back pedaled away from the usual Arkham resident making the syringes leave his gut.
He groaned trying to get some distance from Scarecrow, discomfort etched on his face clutching his abdomen.
He slouched groaning again, Crane in his field of vision looking on in glee as Batman gets a taste of his new toxin.
"What do you see?" Scarecrow pried. "What are you experiencing? What keeps you up at night? Tell me!" he shouted, the anticipation killing him at not knowing what the Batman's greatest fears are.
The vigilante clenched his teeth trying to concentrate on Scarecrow, but the struggle is real. This new variation is perhaps Crane's deadliest.
Starting to see colors. Can't focus on Scarecrow. Vision getting blurry. His heart was pounding in his ears. His body temp felt like it was over a hundred. He was sweating bullets underneath his cowl.
He managed a scowl before the toxin took its toll.
He started to sway on his feet before finally falling flat on his back.
Scarecrow cried out in glee as he witnessed Batman succumb to the toxin. He leaned in wanting to record the results of his experiment.
And Batman is his new lab rat.
Within Batman's Subconscious
Hallucinations are usually a dead give away when dealing with Scarecrow's fear toxin. Heart pumping blood into overdrive. Seeing things that aren't there.
Batman doesn't have much time against this new variation. He estimated he has about an hour before his brain starts to liquify.
Within his subconscious Batman awakened finding himself inside the halls of Wayne Manor.
"Wha-?" he uttered confused. He could have sworn he was in a factory fighting the Scarecrow.
Suddenly, he heard screaming.
He ran as fast as he could down the hallway in the direction of the screams. He kept running down the dark hallway, but he seemed to go on forever and he can't seem to make any headway to the screaming person.
The screams persisted and were getting louder by the second. Judging by the screams in was of a person in pain. Panic filled him as he wondered who it was and what was happening.
He continued to run, arms pumping with every stride. Panting heavily as his body was starting to fatigue, he felt like he was running a hundred miles.
He let his analytic mind go to work. Dissecting the scream down for him. It's a sound of pain.
Further work determined it was a woman.
And then, he identified the voice.
Diana.
"Diana!" he screamed running with renewed energy finally seeing a door.
The screams getting louder and closer.
He outstretched his right arm, palm aimed at the door. His fingers reached out desperate to get to her. A million things going through his mind.
The most important one is fear.
What's happening to Diana?!
He kept running and running but it felt like his legs were in the ocean. Constantly lashing out at him.
It felt like a hundred years until he got any closer to the door and by then Diana's screams died down.
That alone set off alarms in his head.
Finally, he made it to the door and kicked it down, "DIANA!" he roared in panic as he entered the room.
"Shhh" a new voice came from the left side of the room.
Batman turned his head and saw the Joker, of all people, sitting in a rocking chair with a pink bundle in his arms.
"You'll wake the baby."
That numbed him as he zeroed in on the pink bundle of blankets nestled into the mass murders arms.
Baby?
Who's baby?
And then it hit him. His head whipped to the bed in the room and all hope left him as he gazed on Diana pale lifeless body, the bedsheets pulled up to her torso. Her head arched backwards on a pillow; her throat slashed caking the white bedsheets crimson.
Diana's dead. That fact alone crushed his soul. He stood frozen like a statue as the mother of his child, one of his allies was dead.
The pieces slowly fell into place as he numbly looked back to the Joker, whom was rocking the chair back and forth silently grinning at the man as he figured it all out.
The Joker killed Diana. And took his daughter.
The fact alone infuriated him to no end. This is exactly what he was afraid of. That his enemies would come after his infant child.
He had no idea if he could live with himself.
But all that mattered now was getting his daughter back.
"Give. Me. That. Child!" Batman demanded, his voice threatening and cold. Yet anger clearly lacing his words.
He marched over to the mad clown with murder in his eyes.
Unfazed, the Joker shrugged his shoulders amusement still on his face as he pulled a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at the infant in his arms.
The action made Batman stop in his track's, horrified while the Joker had a smug smile on his red lips.
"Let's not be too hasty, Bats."
Batman lowered his arms at his side, though his fists were clenched tightly. He wondered if he's fast enough to disarm the clown and save his daughter before Joker snapped her neck.
He… couldn't find it in him to take the chance.
He doesn't enough know what his daughter looks like. Her tiny body was obscured by the pink blankets.
He will not let her die. He swore to himself. He would get the child away from that clown. He owed it to Diana.
"I have to say, I am surprised you and Wonder Woman have a kid! Oh, by the way, you were planning on making me her godfather, right? I mean of course you were. Her Uncle Joker is going to teach all kinds of wonderous ways to kill people."
The Joker continued to smile at his old pal and asked, "What exactly were you thinking? You know what happens when you drag your friends and family into this crazy little game of ours."
The pale man shook his head, "I can't even fathom how you could have a kid with Wonder Woman of all people and think I wouldn't get her" he spit out menacingly, the pistol still trained on the bundle.
"We've being doing this dance for over a decade now. I've killed hundreds. And you beat me and throw me back in Arkham. And what? You think you can beat me and lock me away, thinking you can have a family and pray they'll magically be safe" he went on. "And they call me crazy!" he exclaimed.
Roused from slumber the baby started to whimper, but the Joker quickly soothed her. "There, there, little one. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm just trying to make a point to the mean mean man" he stated never breaking eye contact with Batman, a devilish smirk on his red lips taunting the Dark Knight.
Unspeakable fury welled up within Batman from the taunts. His jaw clenched tightly as did his fists, but he couldn't do anything, he couldn't risk it.
"Give her to me!" he exclaimed to the madman.
"Nope."
Batman clenched his teeth to stem his anger.
"Why even bother with a family?" he asked with an air of absurdity. "I mean come on, Bruce. It's not like I haven't tried to kill your family before, right?" he gave a sickening smirk to Batman, whom, grew angrier at the reminder of when he held his entire family hostage and tried to kill them all thinking they were making Batman weaker by relying on them.
"You are just a glutton for punishment. Because you know deep down, I'm gonna get them all one day. I gonna get the little Robin, your first Robin, the sequel, him I'll get again, the trilogy and Bratgirl, too" he spoke softly. "And let's not forget the newest member of the family" he looked down at the sweet bundle currently in his arms. "I'll get her, too. Maybe make you watch as I kill, the what, sixth Robin, when she's out of diapers." He laughed, "You're toxic, Bruce. Everyone you ever bring into your life becomes a target for me to hurt you."
Batman is assaulted with the memories of all the horrors the Joker has inflicted upon him over the years. The Death of Jason Todd. The Shooting of Barbara Gordon. His assault on his family. The Joker's Endgame against him, where he almost killed the whole city.
And…
Diana. The mere thought of her made him turn back to the woman lying lifelessly in that bed.
The room suddenly grew cold, he could see his own breath. His whipped around as the walls started to decay.
A mist formed at ankle level on the floor as the room turned darker.
Behind him the streams of mist erupted from the floor into a pillar before the pillar started to take a human form.
Batman turned as he felt something behind him and saw Diana turned in to some sort of wraith. Her throat still cut open, her normal bronze skin tone pale as the moon, eyes glowing green towering above him.
"Diana?" he could only utter in disbelief at what he was seeing.
"Youuuuuuuuuu!" she bellowed like a ghost. "You did this to me!"
"No, I…" he weakly tried to deny.
"You killed me! You ghost of a man. You destroy everyone around you. You break them. Use them. Until they no longer serve their purpose" she spilled hate.
Another wraith appeared. This time in the form of Jason Todd.
"Of course, he does. All he ever cares about is Gotham and her people. Never about the people closest to him. Like me. You let that monster kill me and didn't do a damn thing! Just the same old song. And I shoot a piece of crap like the Penguin and you kick me out of the family. How many lives has he taken our ruined or added to the corruption in the city? You are what's wrong with Gotham, maybe this is all your fault?!"
Another appeared in the form of Damian, his son. "Father?" he uttered weakly as blood leaked out of his tunic. "Am I gonna die again?"
"Damian" Batman muttered weakly as he remembered when Damian was killed.
"Of course, you will" Jason spoke again. "He wouldn't be satisfied until he gets us all killed. That way he'll be the true loner he's always wanted to be!"
Their words were like hot knifes through his heart. Each inflicting a wound more damaging then any wound he ever received in his life. "No, I-" He tried to explain to them that none of it was true.
"What a despicable man you are! How could I ever love you?!" Diana's words poison tipped as well as harsh. "The only way you could ever be with me was if you impregnated me. And if that wasn't bad enough, you took me from my life and planted me into yours. How could I ever be with someone as broken as you!"
"No…" he barely tried to defend himself anymore. They were right. His spirit breaking as they verbally beat him. He was toxic.
He fell to his knees, his head bowed down. "I'm sorry" he mumbled softly.
Back to the Factory
Scarecrow giggled to himself as Batman started to have a seizure.
"Yes!" He exclaimed in glee as Batman is finally succumbing to his toxin.
Distracted, Scarecrow didn't notice an escrima stick bounce off a railing then to the left side wall and crashing right into the Scarecrow's head, dazing him. He swayed side to side from the blow, not noticing another stick collide with the back of his head falling to the ground unconscious.
Batman's Subconscious
Batman was on his knees silently crying to himself. Everything they said was true. He does more harm than good.
Everyone close to him gets hurt.
"Maybe the only way to save everyone from yourself, is to kill yourself" Wraith Diana whispered in his ear. "It's the only way our daughter will ever be safe from you."
"She's right, Bats!" Joker rejoined the conversation. "You know me so well. Hell, I might even keep her alive and make her my little sleeper agent. When your guards down I'll have her put a knife in your throat while she laughs" he cackled before becoming somber.
His lips twitched, "She's better off dead" he said nonchalantly with a straight face before pulling the trigger.
"NO!" Batman screamed as the shot rang out and all he saw was the flash of the gun.
Batcave
"NO!" Batman screamed as he awoke in the batcave infirmary. Face drenched in sweat his cowl down. Heart pounding in his chest as he whipped his head around trying to find out where he was.
"Bruce, easy. You're safe" Dick appeared sans mask as he tried to ease his mentor's agitated state.
"Wha-what happened?" he demanded to know.
"Crane got you," the younger man explained. "I got the antidote to you just in time. If I waited any longer, you'd be dead now."
Bruce took deep breaths to settle himself, fatigue overwhelming him. "Where's Scarecrow?" he asked his voice hoarse.
"Arkham" he got a simple answer. Dick gave the older man a moment before asking, "You okay?"
"Fine" Bruce answered curtly not in any mood to talk further then he must.
This… new variation certainly put him through the ringer. As well as opening up some wounds he has yet to heal from. New ones too.
Dick gazed at Bruce with concern, "You should probably take it easy for a little bit. We don't know what fear toxin did to you."
"I'll be fine."
"If you're sure" the younger man sounding unsure.
"I am."
Dick sighed, knowing this was a losing battle and decided to leave him alone. "Alright then" he started to walk away. He paused, "Bruce, whatever you hallucinated you should talk to someone about it. Because I've never seen you like this before" he expressed his concern. The younger man found his mentor to be struggling to compose himself. His usual sullen disposition was cracking, no doubt from Scarecrow's toxin. It honestly scared the Dick. He's never seen Bruce so off-balance from all the toxins he's been exposed to over the years. "Try Diana, she's about the only one you haven't alienated."
And that was the final word spoke as Bruce was left alone in the cave.
Perhaps… Dick had a point.
Diana did make him feel better. She had a calming aura to her that was infectious. Even to him.
Wayne Manor
Bruce decided to take Dick's advice. So, the next time he saw Diana he asked her to talk. About the two of them.
He found the pregnant woman in his study using the desk to arrange her fundraiser for the museum next week. Papers scattered on the desk messily, she silently muttered to herself as she processed the information on each sheet of paper.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door frame. She looked up from her work and saw Bruce standing in the doorway with an edgy expression on his face.
"Got a minute?"
The woman grew curious about what Bruce would want but didn't show it. "Uh, sure" she paused in her work so she can talk with the man. "What's up?"
"Uh," he stuttered as he began to have second thoughts but instead chose to face it head on like he originally planned to do.
The dark-haired man walked in the room taking a seat across from the desk.
"Um," he tried to get the words out, but they just wouldn't come out. He's not used to discussing his emotions. He rarely ever did that, not even with Selina.
Diana cut him off before he could start, "How are you feeling?" she asked concerningly. "I heard about the Scarecrow. Are you alright?"
"Yes" he automatically answered. His brow furrowed slightly and corrected himself, "No. I'm not alright. Not at all," his words were heavy.
The Amazon's face furrowed as she grew worried for him. "Tell me, Bruce" she asked softly. "Let me help."
He swallowed the lump in his throat that became too painful to bear anymore. "The toxin pushed me to places that I thought I had put to rest, but I haven't. I scared that I'm going to be the reason something horrible happens to our daughter. And I don't know if I could live with myself if that happens", he confided in her, feeling so vulnerable it felt embarrassing.
Diana sat there taking in Bruce's fears about their daughter's life. She absorbed it and found that she shared similar concerns. She offered him a comforting smile, "I feel the same way, Bruce. But what can we do? We didn't exactly plan for this" she gestured her ever growing baby bump. "But we can't live in fear, Bruce. Not for this" she shook her head at the thought of doing that. "That is no way for raise a child." She smiled as she saw her words getting through to him and caught a glimpse of peace in the man's eyes as her words provided some comfort.
She got up from behind the desk and sat next to Bruce in the other chair and took his hand in hers and gave him a light squeeze.
The gesture appeased him slightly, making his worries dissipate for the moment. A strange feeling overcame her, she leaned into him and held him close, her head resting on his shoulder.
He visibly stiffened caught off guard by Diana's sudden action but slowly returned it. Holding her tight as the two felt the others' warmth.
"We'll protect her, won't we?" she whispered to him, her words tickled his ear. Her own fears getting the best of her. Her enemies were actual gods and monsters, that a simple disguise like a pair of glasses and a change in hair could safeguard their child. And that truly chilled her to the bone.
"From everything" he swore to her as he enjoyed being close to her.
He would do everything in his power to keep his daughter safe, no matter what he had to do.
Sanctuary
The mental health facility designed to help those of the superhero community suffering from trauma sustained in the line of duty. The Trinity were the ones who contributed to the facility being created.
Designed using kryptonian technology, the facility's artificial intelligence machines imbued with the will of Batman, the compassion of Wonder Woman and the hope of Superman.
Hundreds of the hero community have used the facility to help themselves overcome their pasts.
Even the Big Three have been patients here.
And now, one of them returned.
Batman sat in one of Sanctuary's treatment suites, his mask off. He sat in the room for almost an hour and hadn't utter a word.
He struggled to get the words out.
He's only been here once years ago, and never came back. He found the whole process pointless.
For him.
He doubted anything could fix him.
He had his head down his face stony yet heavy.
Finally, "I… told Diana how I've been feeling about… our situation. And I… want to do this with her. Be parents together. But I… haven't been entirely open with her. I've told her my fears and she's told me hers. But I haven't told her everything about what I went through" he struggled to say.
His heart was bleeding all over again as he brought the words to the surface with all the emotions, they brought with them. "I-" he stuttered to say, "I haven't thought about suicide since I was twelve" he confessed, releasing a heavy sigh as he felt a weight leave him as he finally confessed what he thought about when he was younger. When the pain of his parents' deaths became too much for a young boy to handle.
He swallowed nervously, taking a struggling breath.
He sniffed rubbing his face, "I'm not going to kill myself" he adamantly shot down the notion. "I have a baby on the way, there's no way I am going to abandon her because life is getting too hard" he stated fiercely. He'd never do that to his daughter, he'll never let it happen willingly.
"I just-I don't know how to make myself better. To be better than I use to be" he struggled to find the words.
That was his final word as his session ended.
Wayne Manor
It was just after midnight on a torrid late June night. The summer season hitting the city notoriously hard this year.
On the grounds of stately Wayne Manor was the gravesite of the two people that meant the world to the master of the manor.
Bruce stood their silently. His gaze on his parents' graves reflective and despondent. The lump in his throat was suffocating.
His head fell and his shoulders started to shake. He's been struggling with this for far too long.
It's time to let it out.
To let it go.
It's the only way he'll be able to move forward with his life.
He opened his mouth trying to speak to his parents', but he paused to swallow.
"I…, "he tried, "I've some things to say. To the both of you" he started to say somberly. "I've spent most of my life making sure what happened to the both of you never happened to anyone else" he recounted his vow. "But I know it's a losing battle. But it's mine to fight. I've tried to help as many people as I could. From the boys to Gotham, but I know I have let a lot of people down" the man tensed as he was speaking.
He stopped for a moment to compose himself. "But I need to do better. I have a daughter—or I will have one soon. With this… amazing woman" he informed them fondly. "I need to be better" he uttered firmly. "I feel like I have let my son down. And I don't want to fail my daughter either. I want to be the kind of parent that the two of you were to me before you…" he trailed off not being able to voice the tragedy that spawned him.
His shoulders shock visible as it was a struggle to voice what he had to say to them. "So, to do that—be the father I should be for your granddaughter" tears welled up in his eyes, "I have to let you go. I need to put this pain behind me and finally start to truly live my life" he proclaimed lugubriously.
His insides ached when he finally told them what he wanted to tell them.
"Don't think that I won't still continue my work" he quickly responded to them. "I will," he promised them. If he was anything, he always kept his promises.
"I just—" he stammered. "I…" he took a needy breath, "I have to let you go" he chocked up. Tears silently trickled down his face. "I've spent most of my life remembering and mourning your deaths' rather than remembering and celebrating your life's'" his voice becoming hoarse from the difficulty of saying this to them.
"I have to let you go" he murmured lowly. His face a reflection of pain, "I have stop living in the past" he realized.
His head lowered to the ground, "Please don't think badly of me" he pleaded just above a whisper.
His shoulders jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulders. He wordlessly turned his head and saw Alfred standing behind him with an understanding expression on his face.
"Alfred?" Bruce murmured in disbelief.
The older man smiled at the man softly. Turning to the graves and back to Bruce, "They would be very proud of you, Bruce" he reassured.
Bruce broke down and silently sobbed as the closest thing he had to a father comforted him.
Next: Bruce keeps his promise to protect his unborn daughter. Diana's museum benefit. And FINALLY! Some steamy time between Bruce & Diana.