I do not own Alfred Pennyworth, Freddie, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Superman/Clark Kent/Kal El, or Martian Manhunter/J'ohn J'ones. DC does. I did create Alice, Evelyn Ainsley, and Thomas. Please enjoy for free.

Wayne Manor Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

The phones rang throughout the manor. Alfred picked up the receiver in the kitchen, where he was preparing food to feed to their many guests, particularly the green one. He put the receiver up to one ear while continuing to hold a spatula in the other. "Wayne residence, Alfred Pennyworth the butler speaking." His brow furrowed, when he heard Madge's voice on the other end.

"Uh, hey teach. This may be nothing, but … I'm in my room here at Missus Ainsley's place? and I just heard gunshots out my window."

Alfred's eyes flew open. "How many?"

"Just two, or maybe it was one loud weird one, but … No, I think they sounded too different to be from the same gun. I heard a lot of barking before that, then there were some screams from Alice, and then the gunshots … So something's going on here."

"I'll be right over, and I suggest staying in your room."

"Yeah … I kinda got that covered."

Alfred hung up. After he'd stuffed the bowl of half-made food into the fridge, and turned to rush out of the room, the phone rang again. He lunged for it. This time he answered, "Hello?"

"Alfie, you alright?"

"Freddie? No! There have apparently been gunshots at Ainsley manor!"

"Should I hop across the pond over there?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

"I have that information now and dynamite stuff it is, but I guess it'll have to wait."

"Jolly good. Goodbye Freddie." Alfred hung up again, turned, and strode out of the kitchen ripping his apron off as he did.

Ainsley Manor Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

Alice ran into the mansion screaming. "Samson shot Juniper! Juniper bit Samson! And not he's chasing Samson! And Thomas shot at Samson and is chasing them both!"

Dr. Thompkins ran up to Alice as the young women stopped her yelling, but started sobbing instead. Then the doctor's eyes narrowed as she examined the younger woman's face. Evelyn came up behind them both to hear her sister ask, "Alice … did he hit you as well?"

Alice's mouth fell open "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow behind the doctor, "If someone truly shot my dog for biting him "after" Juniper bit him for hitting you ..."

"Don't speak aloud possible chains of events at this stage, Evelyn." Leslie took Alice by the shoulders and guided her to the kitchen. There, the doctor grabbed a cloth, put some ice in it, and held them under some cold running water. Then she pressed them to the pinker side of Alice's face. "Where did you get this mark?"

Alice broke eye contact with the doctor. Evelyn, who'd followed them both to the kitchen nodded. "Yeah, he hit her."

Leslie scowled at Evelyn, but then looked back at Alice. "Is my sister wrong?"

Alice shook her head and began to sob. The doctor sighed. "When did he approach you?"

Alice hiccuped, "When I went looking for Juniper ..."

"And when did Juniper bite him?"

"After he hit me."

Evelyn broke in. "He's a good boy then …"

Her sister ignored her and continued questioning Alice. "How do you know Juniper was shot?"

"Cause Samson pointed the gun right at him and it went off."

Evelyn cursed. Leslie went on, "And do you think Thomas hit Samson when he shot his gun?"

Alice hiccuped before answering, "I don't know … Maybe?" Alice then shuddered. "What do you want me to do?

Dr. Thompkins pursed her lips briefly before replying still holding the cold cloth to the pinker side of Alice's flushed face. "I want you to hold still."

"No, I mean … do you want me to leave or … pay Mrs. Ainsley back somehow … or …" Alice began shaking.

Evelyn plunged straight ahead without first hearing from her psychologist sister. "No, of course not. You didn't make that man come here and bring a gun. Did you?"

Alice shook her head back and forth again.

Leslie sighed, and drew the cloth slightly away before reiterating, "Hold still ..."

Alice hiccuped even as she tried to obey. "You aren't going to punish me?"

Leslie gave a great sigh before answering. "No Alice, we're not."

Evelyn nodded as she added, "We're not like that dear. We don't hit people over every little thing."

"It's not a little thing. It's Juniper!"

Evelyn nodded even as she stepped closer to Alice. "True enough, but it's not your fault. It's that man's." She took one of Alice's trembling hands. "It's time you stop taking all the blame for those who won't take it for themselves."

"I … I …"

Evelyn glanced at her sister, but when the psychologist didn't return the glance and instead continued studying what was visible of Alice's cheek, Evelyn looked back at the young woman, "When he hits you, has 'he' usually found himself in a hard place?"

Alice looked down at her shoes.

Evelyn nodded. "Dear, there are too many men and women in this world, who can control themselves, to try to put your hopes in someone like that."

"But, he depends on 'me ...'"

This time Leslie did break in. "Alice, maybe it's best for him, to let him face the consequences of his own actions and perhaps through that learn self-control."

"But he might die, and he … he rescued me, when we first met …"

"How hard was that for him?" Evie asked raising an eyebrow.

Alice paused a moment before replying. "Not really, I guess … The other guy just ran away."

Leslie cut in again. "And how painful has paying him back been for you?'

Alice began to sob again. Evie clasped her hand tighter. "I'm sorry Dear, but it's time to face this. You don't need him. And when he does get himself into deep, deep holes, he's gonna drag you down with him or even push you in first ahead of him, because he's not a hero."

Leslie turned a warning stare on her sister. Alice began shaking her head, "He … I … I thought …"

Madge burst through the kitchen door and broke in. "Thought what?"

All three other pairs of eyes turned on her. Madge continued despite Leslie's scowl. "You thought he was your hero cause some guy approached you at the bus stop and he chased him off? Wow, like he's really that scary especially to someone who can run fast. That's an old con everyone plays in Gotham City! Dozens of men in the city have pulled that. And you probably got Samson a hundred times more money since that what he spent paying the other guy to pull it with him. So, Samson found me at a regular job at a diner and told me how much more I could make at the clubs. He didn't tell me how he'd take most of it and beat me if I tried to leave! Face it Alice! We were in his trap, and now you've brought him here where actually nice people live!"

Leslie bit out. "Madge, that's enough!"

Alice's head dipped and she whispered. "You … I once heard two men at the club laughing, about doing that to another girl … fooling her ... But I thought Samson could never … but he shot Juniper. And he hits me ... And ... you ... never hit me ... Is there something wrong with Samson?"

Leslie sighed. "No one should save someone only to hurt them continuously. That's not what heroism or love is. Samson needs to figure that out, and you shouldn't trust him, with us, or Juniper, or yourself until he does."

Evelyn continued, "And the best sign he's trustworthy will be when he "doesn't" ask you to trust him. When 'he' can walk away and not say he 'needs' you or any other woman to get him out of his self-made problems."

"But you helped me out of mine."

"True, but there is a difference between asking for help, taking it, and trying to pay people back what and when you can, and asking for people for help and then hitting when you don't receive it."

Alice stared at nothing as she replied. "Yeah ..."

All four women were silent in the kitchen until Madge suddenly straightened. "Oh yeah, I called Teach to tell him shots were fired over here. I waited in my room for a while to be safe, but then thought ... maybe I shouldn't be a coward if you were all still down here getting into trouble ..."

Leslie spun to stare at her. "You did what?'

Evelyn began striding to the phone. "I'd better call Alfie let him know we're all breathing without bullet holes."

Alice shed another tear and her voice trembled as she replied, "Except for Juniper, and maybe Samson."

Madge made a face, but a glare from Leslie silenced her. Evelyn made a face much like Madge's before she heard Alfred's voice over the phone. "Yes?"

"It's Evie. Thomas is apparently chasing an armed intruder off my land, and one of our guests is having a bruise treated by my sister …" She sighed before adding, "And apparently one of my dogs was shot …"

She heard a sigh of relief on the other end she tried not to resent for her pet's sake. Then the butler redeemed himself a bit in her sight. "Considering you only have larger dogs, I think I'll come over to help Thomas take him to the vet then."

"Maybe you should bring more help. It was Juniper."

"Oh dear, I didn't think he could seem menacing enough to be worth such drastic action."

"According to Alice, he took a bite out of our intruder."

There was a pause before Alfred asked, "What about your visitor?"

"I'm not sure. I assumed my sister chased him off." Evie lowered the phone and turned to her older sibling. "Leslie, what happened to Mr. J'ones? Did he storm out of your session?"

Leslie turned toward her sister and turned a little pale. "I … he's … around here somewhere. I think the … scene ... outside caught his attention early and he disappeared. Tell Alfred he disappeared when the trouble started."

Evie raised her eyebrows before speaking into the phone, "My sister says he disappeared around the time the trouble started …"

Alfred froze. "I see. I'll try to take the proper actions to get you help over there."

Woods/Treeline Behind Ainsley Manor Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

Thomas, took a different route back to the manor attempting to not muddle things more for any investigators who'd want to trace Samson's steps. Doing so, he made a discovery that would muddle things even more. Keeping his eyes on the trail ahead, he spotted, only a few feet from where the trees ended and lawn began, a flash of tan and white. His eyes narrowed and he headed in its direction.

After brushing some bush limbs and thorny vines aside, he saw a lot more white and tan laid out over the ground. Juniper's eyes were shut. He hadn't budged at Thomas' approach nor as the man leaned over him. Thomas then knelt at the dog's side and ran his hands over him looking for the blood and bullet wound he expected. He found nothing. There was something obviously wrong with the canine though. He still didn't respond even to his touch.

Thomas pulled back and examined the dogs surroundings. He saw plenty of evidence this had become a favorite lay-down spot for the St. Bernard for days. However, there was none that he had come to the place from the woods. Such a large animal would have had to make signs passing through the thick brush to get to the spot from where Samson had been chased to. Yet, all Thomas saw was the damage he himself had caused. He looked back down at the still deeply asleep dog with his own eyes wide. They opened wider as a voice called from the sky. "Need some help?"

Thomas stepped around the dog and out into the sunlight. There, he saw a figure in blue, gold, and red descending to earth. Superman landed in front of him but looked at Juniper lying on the ground. "I think you're dog's been drugged."

Thomas stared another moment at Superman. When the superhero looked back at him, perhaps for a response, the man nodded. Superman looked back to the St. Bernard. "He looks pretty heavy. Want me to carry him to a car or at least the house?"

Thomas nodded again and pointed toward the manor. Superman smiled and nodded back. "Gotcha."

Kitchen of Ainsley Manor Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

Evelyn was on the phone while Madge sat silent at the kitchen table. Evelyn was talking on the phone to the veterinarian, "Yes, if you could come over and do what you can, I'll make it worth your while ..."

Thomas flung the door wide open. Superman strode through holding Juniper in his arms. He looked at Evelyn with a grin and said, "Hey, I think your dog ate something he shouldn't have. Where would you like me to put him so you can take care of this big guy?"

Evelyn dropped the phone. Leslie blinked, but then pointed. Superman put the dog down, rose back up to stand straight, turned and nodded at them all. "Have a good day." Then he lifted off the floor, went horizontal, and zoomed back out through the door.

The humans all turned to stare at each other in turn. Evelyn then picked the phone back up. "Yeah, we have him right now on the kitchen floor. So come straight over ..."

Woods Behind Ainsley Manor Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

Superman flew over the forest staring down at it with his brow furrowed in concern. His eyes widened as he spotted his Martian friend. He descended through some branches yards away before walking gently over to him. "Moe?"

The Martian didn't move. Superman scanned his body with x-ray vision. He noticed a hollow tube-like space in the chest. Examining things even deeper, he saw the Martian's cells had changed their behavior. The skin cells in particular seemed to have added a hardened layer on the skin's surface giving it a new sheen like some of the leaves surrounding them. For about thirty seconds Superman couldn't breathe, because he didn't see his friend's heart beating. Then it did give a beat. He released his breath. He finally knelt beside the Martian, picked him up, and took off into the sky.

What do you think now?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes