A.N.:I Know, it sound really stupid, but I actually did originally get the idea for this story in a dream. Also, the first chapter of this is a songfic with a song called Goodbye to You by Michelle Branch. I know that there are a lot of kid’s that he didn’t know he had fics out there (believe me, I’ve read theme) but trust me, this one isn’t like the rest. Give it a shot, I beg of you. Please! For me?!
~*~
Of all the things I’ve believed in
I just wanna get it over with
Tears form behind my eyes
But I do not cry
Counting the days that pass me by
~*~
“Oh come on Batsy! Pick! Do you want to arrest me, or do you want to save your precious little side kick!” Joker’s horrid voice cackled. He hated him. Above anyone else, he hated him most.
But there was no time to reminisce now. He gave a quick nod to Robin, who was swinging over a vat of acid by a very thin rope. Robin nodded back and Batman tossed the Batarang, neatly slicing the rope in two.
“Come on Tim, get it right!” he thought, feeling him clench his fist. Yes! The well timed and aimed jump on Robin’s part and landed him on the vat’s edge, not bubbling goo that threatened mere inches away. Harley, holding the knife meant to cut the rope, frowned a bit worriedly.
“Uh-oh...” said the Joker. “Dang!”
Batman tackled him, and they tumbled. There was practically no light in the old warehouse, which was fine by Batman, whose eyes had adjusted perfectly well to the dark.
“SMACK!”
Joker hit him upside the head with a board. He was down, not out, but he would need a moment for the room to stop spinning around him. His head slightly cleared, he could see Tim was trying to rush to help, but Harley was holding him back.
“SMACK!”
Another hit with the board had him down again.
“Well Bats, it’s been a blast, but I really do have other matters to attend to, so- Ack!”
Joker was tackled from behind, but from what, Batman could not tell.
“What the hell!” Joker yelled, as the small shadowy thing disappeared. It tackled Joker again, this time landing a clean kick to the head, sending him skidding across the floor, Harley rushing to his aid.
The Shadow realized that Batman was staring at it.
“It’s...it’s almost like...”
It looked startled, and almost frightened, and backed up into a hall of the warehouse, the cover of it’s darkness making it even harder for Batman to identify it.
“Now when you get out of here, don't look back.” the slightly rough voice said. Rough, young, and unmistakably female. Batman merely stood there, not quite sure whether to go, or arrest Joker.
The Shadow looked extremely nervous as her focus briefly shifted to the Joker, who was rubbing his head, seemingly not quite aware of his surroundings, before she looked back at Batman, nervous that he hadn’t left yet.
“Look, they’ll be Hell to pay when he gets up, so go!”
The Joker was now fully up and awake, and pulling a gun from his coat pocket. Batman stood there, not moving as Robin stood in the background, confused by his mentor’s unwillingness to action.
“I said now!” The Shadow said, leaping out of the darkness, giving Batman a good push, knocking him slightly off balance and towards the nearby door. With a good kick, both he and Robin were out in the night.
Batman tried to get into the warehouse, but the Shadow had locked the door.
Bruce stood outside, an autumn leaf blowing past him in the stiff breeze. He didn’t notice the cold. He didn’t think to pull the coat he had brought more tightly about him. (Hell, he didn’t even know why he brought the coat!) He simply stood there, looking at the four headstones that resided on the grounds of Wayne Manor. He stood there, not saying a word.
How long ago had it been since he’d seen Sarah and Emily? Twelve years. Yes, it had probably been about that. And yet, he remembered all the details. He remembered when he’d first met Sarah, when he’d first seen Emily, and when he knew he’d never see them again.
He knew he couldn’t be wrong. If anything, the headstones proved it. But then why did he feel so restless? Why did he feel so confused? Why did he think he’d seen a dead girl?
...
Bruce had first met Sarah McNight at college when they were both young. Foolishly young it seemed now, but it hadn’t then.
“I’m so sorry!” Bruce said, scooping up the books the young lady had dropped. “I guess I wasn’t looking where I was going!”
“It’s my fault too!” the young lady said, just as quickly scooping up her books. “I wasn’t paying anymore attention then you.” And she stood up straight.
She had long, brown wavy hair, and sparkling brown eyes. Bruce couldn’t help but feel slightly dumbstruck when he’d first seen her. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her around campus. In some ways, he’d almost purposely knocked into her.
“I’m....I’m Bruce,” he said, holding out a hand to her. He’d never felt tongue tied before. At nineteen, and one of the richest men in the world, he knew quite a few of the girls on campus were making eyes at him, but Sarah had simply ignored him. And that was why he had to meet her. Because he guessed she didn’t care about all the publicity and money he had, like everyone else, with exception of a few friends, he had met.
“I’m Sarah McNight,” she responded, shaking his hand. She brushed a lock of her golden brown hair behind her ear, and looked up at him with a smile, and her glittering eyes.
“It’s....very nice to meet you...,” he said, still slightly tongue tied.
And that’s what had started it. Bruce knew, knew!, that he was in love with Sarah McNight, and not a single soul would persuade him otherwise. He wouldn’t let them.
Sense told him he was being naive and stupid. They were both nineteen, far too young to be thinking about anything truly serious. And he had made a promise. A promise he had intended to keep. He was simply biding his time. He’d keep his social butterfly status up, and as soon as he was out of college and back in Gotham, it’d all begin. He wasn’t going to make break the vow he’d made with his parents blood.
And so, Bruce tried to go on with his studies and ignore Sarah. But he was proving unsuccessful. She was ignoring him just fine, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
So, he gave into to love finally. Thinking back, he knew that was something he’d never do now, but then, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Sarah, in some ways, couldn’t stand him. To her, he was egotistical, vane, and much too popular for her. She didn’t like the idea of dating someone and being followed by the press every step of the way. So, she ignored him successfully, that is, until he became persistent.
She began seeing a side of Bruce she hadn’t thought he’d have. He was charming and kind, not the selfish rich boy she’d turned him out to be. He was romantic, and stubborn, and simply wouldn’t leave her alone.
“I ought to call the police on you!” she threatened.
He grinned sneakily. “But you won’t. Will you?”
No, that was true. Sarah hated to admit it, but she was falling for Bruce and fast.
One year later, she had already given in, and the two were the couple the press couldn’t get enough of. Sarah could never figure out how, but Bruce always managed to get rid of the press for while he’d take her out. He really didn’t mind them, having been used to them since he was a boy, but he would never put Sarah in an uncomfortable situation, so whenever she’d see him, there were no press anywhere.
Sarah was one day roaming the public library boardly when she recognized the voice of two of Bruce’s college buddies and Bruce.
“Oh come on Bruce! I guess she’s pretty, but I don’t get what you see in her!”
“I don’t get what you don’t!”
“Alright, tell me one great thing about her.”
“She’s pretty, hell, she’s gorgeous, and she’s nice and smart, and I- oh I don’t know! You can’t describe it! It’s just this feeling! I get all wobbly around her, and I never act like that around anyone else!”
And that was true. Bruce was a whole different person around other people. He was the cold, quite shell that would eventually become the true him, and what would make up Batman.
“She’s like...she’s like...like watching a sunrise, or looking up at the stars. You don’t seem to care what ever else is going on. All you know is that your there and that’s the moment, and nothing else seems to matter any more! I’ve never felt like that around anyone before! Ever!”
“You know,” said Sarah, having come in during his rants, and was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, “most girls find it pretty romantic if you tell them that to there face.”
And that’s where Sarah McNight ended and Sarah Wayne began. That, and the kiss he’d given her after he’d found out she’d been listening to the whole thing. There was not a word spoken on the subject by his college buddy’s again.
...
Things rarely stay the same though, and all things change, for the better, and for the worse. The birth of Emily meant a whole new page in Bruce’s life, but the worse change was that Sarah was beginning to doubt him. Doubt his love for her and his faithfulness. She knew that Bruce would have plenty off opportunities to sleep with other women, but she didn’t think he’d take them, and he hadn’t, though she didn’t know that. Alfred had become her rock of confidence, and she confided most things in him. He told her that Bruce would never cheat on her.
And Sarah believed him. It wasn’t simply because Alfred said it. It was the way Bruce held Emily in his arms and sang her soft lullabies. It was the way she caught him looking at her sometimes, and the way he’d manage to take her out to dinner, and still dodge the press for her.
But Bruce was struggling between what were now three worlds. The person the city expected him to be, the person Sarah knew he was, and the secret he was keeping deep under Wayne Manor. He was constantly debating with himself to tell her or not. To stop putting on the mask each night. If he stopped, than he could let Sarah be sure of his love for her. And if he continued, then he’d always know that nothing could hurt Emily. And it was tearing him apart.
“Sarah!” he called, coming inside, this time, truthfully from a business meeting, not just the lie he’d told Sarah. “Sarah!” he called again, the house echoing with silence.
There was nothing.
He suddenly felt panicked. “Sarah!” he called again, slightly quickening his pace through the house. “Alfred!”
Nothing. He heard a noise coming from a hall closet, and opened it to find a bound and gagged Alfred, a nasty bruise forming on his head where he’d been hit. Bruce untied him quickly, before bursting into the nursery.
It looked like a battle field. A table, the crib, all knocked over. Things tossed around. But there was no Emily. And there was no Sarah. Just a note.
Dear Mr. Wayne,
No, don’t worry, I don’t want a ransom. This one I did just for the fun of it. Toodles!
Joker.
...
“Gee Puddin. I dunno...When Batman finds out that you kidnapped Mr. Wayne’s infant daughter, don’t you think he’ll be a bit upset?” said Harley, sitting on Joker’s lap.
“My best joke of all! Can you imagine the look on his face when I tell him they’re dead?” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah, and it’s not gonna be a happy one...”
“Oh, relax Harley! Nothing can go wrong. I break the news, you turn on the gas, we get away and live happily ever after with the wonderful memory of finally getting under Bamtan’s skin.”
“Yeah but-“
“Shhh!” he said, pushing her off his lap. “Here he comes.” Harley stood there for a moment, not quite sure if she liked the idea. “Well? Quick! Go to the gas canisters!” Harley hid in the shadows of the warehouse. There was no turning back now.
“SMASH!”
Batman broke through the window, madder than hell. The sound of the breaking glass made little bursts of “tinkle, tinkle” as he stood there, focusing his eyes to the lack of light. But this took little time, and he strode over to where Joker sat with a few large strides. He grabbed him by the color of his coat, hoisting him up and out of the chair, so that his legs dangled a few centimeters off the ground.
“All right Joker. Where are they?”
“They? They who?”
Batman lifted him slightly higher. “You know who I’m talking about.”
“Oh, yes! You mean Mrs. Money and the little brat!”
Batman smashed the Joker against the wall, causing him to cough slightly as the wind was knocked out of him.
“Now I said that one was just for laughs. Tsk, tsk Batsy! You didn’t pay attention. But, a joke is funny for only so long before it becomes obsolete, so....”
“No....” thought Batman. “He wouldn’t...”
“Let’s just say, they’re headed for the big bank in the sky...”
Batman gave him a hard punch, sending him sliding across the floor. He loomed over him, his cold eyes staring at him with hate and disgust.
“You’re a monster.”
“I am that I am,” Joker said with a shrug.
Harley, now coming out of her petrified state, cranked the wheel of the gas, so that the whole room was filled with a thick haze. Batman searched for where they could’ve rushed off to, but when the smoke cleared. There wasn’t a trace of them. He punched the wall in angry frustration, and slumped against it.
...
“My dearest apologies Mr. Wayne. This must be a terrible loss to you.”
That was the tenth person to come by the chair he sat in behind the desk to tell him how sorry they were. He wished that they would all just go away. But, he was known to be a social butterfly, so he had to keep something like that up. And that’s how the funeral went. He knew that Sarah would’ve wanted it to be private, be also knew she’d understand why he’d had to make it public.
So he just sat behind the desk, would look away from whoever was speaking, and nod. He felt like crying. He wouldn’t though. He hadn’t cried since the night his parents died, and he hadn’t cried since. He wasn’t going to restart an old habit. And he was determined not to fall in love again. What had it brought him? Only this…Two funerals and four headstones sitting out on the grounds, down by a patch of oak trees. How many days since the abduction and murder? Seven. It had been seven.
~*~
I’ve been searching deep down in my soul.
Words that I’m hearing are starting to get old.
It feels like I’m starting all over again.
The last three years were just pretend.
And I said,
Goodbye to you.
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew.
You were the one I loved,
The one thing that I tried to hold to.
~*~
“I’m sorry Mr. Wayne, I know how you feel.” Well, whoever it was actually didn’t.
“That’s eleven,” he thought to himself. He nodded. How many years had he known Sarah? Three. Three years. Now it was like he could simply erase them from memory. That’d be nice. But he knew he’d never be able to do it. It simply wouldn’t worked. He knew. He’d tried.
~*~
I still get lost in your eyes,
And it seems that I can’t live a day without you.
Closing my eyes and you chase my thoughts away,
To a place where I am blinded by the light,
But it’s not right.
Goodbye to you.
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew.
You were the one I loved,
The one thing that I tried to hold on to.
And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time.
I want what’s yours and I want what’s mine.
I want you, and I’m not giving in this time.
Goodbye to you.
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew.
You were the one I loved,
The one thing that I tried to hold on to.
The one thing that I tried to hold on to.
And when the stars fall I will lie awake.
You’re my shooting star.
~*~
He looked at the picture in the frame, sitting on his desk for a moment. It was of Sarah, Emily, and he. It was taken for Emily’s first birthday, just last month. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to wish all the people away. He wanted to escape to the solitude of his cave, but there wasn’t anytime now. So he tried to escape into his head instead. But all he could think of was Sarah, and he felt the light she had given him. She had changed him, but with her gone, he was reverting back into darkness. And in someways, he missed the light.
...
Bruce snapped back out of old memories. There was no use dwelling on old memories. But that girl! He tried to guess her age. Thirteen, fourteen? Emily’d be thirteen, had she lived.
“But she didn’t,” he thought bitterly to himself. “And I’m not going to pretend she did.”
He turned swiftly and walked away, turning his back on the headstones. He wasn’t ever going to let something like that happen again. And that was all the mattered.
To Be Continued.....
A.N: So? What did you guys think? Honestly, I don’t think it was as smooth as I’d hoped, but I hope you liked it^^ Reviews and e-mails are welcome and wanted!
Creepy. Whose the mystery girl? Find out in the next chapter! Read on!
