"I don't think he likes us," said Rosy.

"Nonsense!" replied Emily. "He just doesn't know you yet! You see Bruce....uummm...There were these Jokerz and, well, I saw 'em messing around with Rosy and her baby sister here and-"

"Bring them in," he interrupted.

"Wh-what?" stuttered Emily.

"Unless you want them to freeze to death, shut the door, and bring them inside," he said.

"Bruce Wayne?" Rosy whispered to Emily.

"You know him?"

"Any moron can put two and two together," she said. Living on the street had clearly toughened up the small seven year old.

Emily led Rosy, who was still cradling her sister, up to her room, finding a blanket for Angela, and a shirt that was enormously too big for Rosy, laying them on the bed. She got the bath tub running, and put the two in.

"I think I'm gonna have to go talk to him. You scrub yourself clean, ok?" said Emily. She found Bruce sitting in his chair, his hand in a fist so that they supported his head. His blue eyes were staring straight ahead, expecting Emily.

"Well?" he asked.

"It's just like I told you! There were Jokerz, and they were gonna murder Angela, that's the baby, and so I stopped them. They lived on the street, their mother was dead, and I didn't know what else to do!"

"I'm thinking of a word that starts with the letter O...." he said.

"Fine. But they can't stay here."

"Why not! I stay here, and you put up with me just fine!"

"You earn your keep."

"That's not the reason Bruce, and you know it!"

"I don't want them staying here!"

Emily looked at him pleadingly, running a hand through her hair. "So what do you want me to do, throw them back out onto the street?"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Ok then Batman, you figure something out. Time for Rosy to prove she's right...."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" said Bruce quizzically.

"She said Batman never fails."

He paused for a moment. "Terry's Batman now," he replied, bitterly.

"She doesn't know that. Besides, Terry's version 2.0. You're the original, and that makes you different...." She looked at him sadly. She couldn't let those two go.

With a sigh, Bruce dug out his wallet, handing her a cash card.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"They're gonna need some clothes I take it."

Emily's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She could hug Bruce right then and there, but smartly didn't. She headed back to her room, taking the girls out of the tub, drying them off. She wrapped Angela in the blanket, and put the shirt over Rosy. She turned on the T.V. with a click and searched around for a while.

Emily

Wayne Manor

I searched the T.V. for something suitable for kids. With great luck, I managed to find some really ancient Bugs Bunny cartoons on T.V. Land, "Home to all your old favorites." I'm serious, that place has some things in black and white! Talk about ancient. Then there's that American Movie Classics thing. They have some movies with out color! Those were old in Bruce's day! Those would be worth a fortune! There are some good movies on that channel actually, not that I'd ever let anyone know I watched something THAT old......

"Ok Rosy. Keep an eye on your sister for me, and stay right there. Rosy? Helllooo??" Too late. She's been lost in the world known as Brain Rotting Television.......

I skid out the door, noticing Bruce is no where in site. Figuring he's gone down to the Bat cave for some of his daily sulking, I head out.

She poured some maccaroni noodles into the boiling water on the stove. She dug through the fridge, finding some cream, cheese, salt, etc. "Perfect," she thought silently. The fridge was never low of supply's but she couldn't remember the last time Bruce went grocery shopping. She went out to get milk or eggs or something occasionally, but not a lot of everything. This house had some of the weirdest secrets.....

"What are you doing?" asked a voice. Emily jumped a little. It was Bruce.

"You've got to learn not to sneak up on people like that," she said, calming her racing heart.

"Sorry...." he said. "Old habits die hard. So what are you doing?"

"Cooking," she replied.

"Cooking what?"

"Mac and cheese, nothing fancy. Want some?"

"No thank you," he responded. "Are you gonna wake them up for dinner?"

"Only if their up to it," she said. "If not," she shrugged, "Maccaroni for breakfast!" He gave her a funny look. "Unless you want to cook...."

"Macaroni it is then!" he said. "When's Terry gonna be here?"

"Same time as always Bruce. 7:00. Always 7:00. Not 6:59, not 7:01, 7:00 on the dot." she said exasperated.

"Well then what time is it now?" She glanced at the stove clock.

"6:30." He grumbled a bit, and then, Ace at heel, submerged into the batcave.

"Who's Terry?" pipped a small voice. Emily turned to see Rosy in her new pajamas. She bent down to eye level with her.

"Terry and I work for Mr. Wayne. He's also my cousin. Hungry?" She nodded. Emily spooned the mac & cheese into a dish, setting it before her.

"Does he bite?" she asked.

"Terry?"

"No silly, him!" said Rosy, as she pointed down at the big black head of Ace, who was looking rather longingly at the maccaroni.

"Yes, but he won't bite you," Emily replied. Rosy took a few noodles out of the bowel and was about to pass them down to Ace. "Rosy, don't you feed that glutton. He's got food in his dish."

"But he looks so hungry." Emily sighed.

"Ok, a few noodles, but that's all!"

It is safe to say that Rosy and Ace became very good friends.....

"Shut up McGinnis! It's not funny!" grumbled The Fox.

"Alright, so then how long are they staying at Wayne Manor?"

"I dunno....I just do-" "Woah!" cried out Batman. "Did you see that thing?!"

"What thing?!"

"It was...It was...I dunno what it was, but it definitely was covered in blood!"

The two leapt off the roof top they'd been talking on, Terry having to grab Emily, because her new suit didn't have wings. Emily gasped, and managed not to throw up at the site at their feet.

It was a body, or at least it was once. Mangled, bloody, and torn. An arm had been flung ten feet away. A leg, twenty. Emily had to support herself on the building to keep from blacking out.

"Emily?"

"Call the commissionaire....."