Maisie jerked her head up when she became aware of the knocking on her door. She looked at her laptop screen and noticed that the download window she had been staring at was flashing "download completed." The last thing she remembered was the screen saying that it was at 15%. There was another knock on the door.
"Maisie?"
Though the tone was soft, she cringed at hearing the person the voice belonged to. She wanted nothing to do with her father; but she knew that if she was going to find her mother, she was going to have set her own personal feelings aside. She pushed herself off her bed and had taken a couple steps toward the door when she turned around suddenly and closed her laptop. Bruce didn't need to know that she had just hacked into Felicity's network. Chances were Felicity already knew. Her defense walls were extremely strong.
Maisie walked to the door and pulled the heavy door open to reveal her father standing almost sheepishly. He had his hands shoved into his pockets, almost as if he was trying to find something at the bottom of them with no success. He was also drenched from head to toe. Listening a little closely, she heard the rainfall outside. He must have stayed outside after Oliver left.
"Yes? Did you need something?"
"I, uh, think we need to talk." He glanced down and toed the pattern in the carpet.
She raised an eyebrow at his lack of confidence. This was not the behavior she had been expecting from him. From the stories her mother and Oliver had told her, her father—the dark knight—was a confident, dark, brooding, and basically scary person who struck fear in the hearts of his enemies and even some of his friends/coworkers in the Justice League. Now, he stood in front of her staring at the floor and would barely look at her in the eyes.
She shifted her weight and leaned against the doorframe. She crossed her arms and looked at him. "Talk about what?"
Bruce finally looked up and glanced at her face before looking behind her. "Do you think I could come in?"
"…You're wet…"
He glanced at his black pants and blazer and light grey dress shirt as if noticing for the first time that they were soaking wet. Water dripped from his dark hair and added to the puddle at his feet and soaking into the carpet. "Oh, uh…how about I go change and, uh, we can meet in my study in ten minutes?" He looked hopeful as he, for the first time since Oliver proposed she stay at Wayne manor, met her directly in the eyes.
She thought about it and held in a sigh. Finally, she nodded slowly. "I'll be downstairs in ten."
Bruce let out a breath and smiled. "I'll be down there." He started down the hallway for what used to be his and her mom's bedroom which, she would assume, is now just his bedroom. His and whatever girl he decides to spend his evening with. She bristled at that thought.
She closed the door and dragged her suitcase to her walk-in closet. She unzipped it and opened it up to stare at the clothes she had packed. She pulled out a pair of loose burgundy jogger pants and a black t-shirt. She quickly threw on her clothes. She shoved her small feet in a pair of panda-covered socks and as she left her room grabbed a thin sweater in the same burgundy color from one of her duffels. She threw her long hair in a high ponytail and walked out the door, closing the heavy door softly behind her. She began padding her way down the hallway towards the stairs. As she approached her father's study, she couldn't help the intrusive thought of that the coming talk would be a long one.