Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Rise

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 01:

Wayne Tower, Gotham City

Wayne Enterprises’ Chief Executive Officer, Diana Wayne, sat at her desk, leaned back in her leather executive chair. Her eyes were closed, one hand wrapped around a glass of bourbon and the other holding her forehead and rubbing her temples in an effort to relieve the tension headache she could feel coming on.

She had hoped for a relaxing day… to get home early, enjoy dinner, watch television with her younger sister, Kara, then soak in her tub for an hour or so.

Instead, she was still in her office, thanks to one phone call from Alfred.

Bruce was back.

Her brother was not dead as she had feared, and she had no idea where he had been for the past six years. Bruce had simply disappeared, dropped out of the world, leaving Diana alone with the responsibility of Wayne Enterprises, their parents’ legacy. She had run the company single-handedly for the last three years after Lucius Fox stepped down to make way for her.

Bruce had also left their immunocompromised little sister, Kara, the sunny blonde with the genius intellect who Diana was extremely proud of.

Kara had recently been named president of Wayne Enterprises in addition to remaining the unquestioned head of the company’s Research and Development Division, a position she had earned after graduating from college with multiple degrees at eighteen years of age.

Diana was the one who made sure Kara followed her medical and physical health routine to keep up the immune system Dr. Eliza Danvers had designed and maintained since Kara was a newborn.

She was the one who monitored Kara’s diet and exercise, making sure her beloved little sister, the abandoned infant she had fallen in love with from the moment she and her mother first saw little Kara dying all alone in the hospital, was as healthy as possible.

Bruce left her to hold Kara’s hand two years ago when she had to be placed in a medically induced coma to fight off a new strain of flu that most humans were not bothered with because they could take a flu shot. She listened to Kara ask where Bruce was, in her fevered state, facing death, telling Diana she wanted to say goodbye to her big brother.

Since that fateful night when their parents had been killed in an alley, she and Bruce had been a team, dedicated to supporting their little sister and each other. Despite the story of the two being twins, they were not. It was a fabrication of Thomas and Martha Wayne to keep Diana safe though the two considered themselves to be twin siblings in every way that mattered.

Bruce had gotten Diana through her grief but also her increasing strength and other abilities as she grew, her frustration at not knowing her true origins, and the stress of keeping Kara healthy.

Diana had gotten Bruce through his anger, his fear, his depression, all stemming from the mistaken belief he had could have done something to prevent their parents’ death.

They were both twelve and if either of them could have done anything, it would have been Diana, but she had stayed home that night at their mother’s request to take care of Kara. Bruce never got over his belief and the feeling he had failed them.

While Kara breezed through college as if it were a nuisance, Diana had worked her way through school with such an intensity that she achieved her undergraduate degree and an MBA in four years so she could work under Lucius in preparation to take the reins of their family’s company.

It was a position that should have belonged to Bruce as well. They should have run the company together, like everything else in their lives… but then he turned his back on his family and everything changed.

At twenty-two-years-old, Bruce had dropped out of college, out of life, without a spoken word, only a cryptic letter on his bed, saying he had to leave to prepare himself for what was to come.

Kara was barely fifteen at the time and was utterly devastated when she learned he had disappeared. It was Diana who held her though her tears while fighting off her own heartbreak.

Now, out of nowhere, six years later, Alfred had received a call from Bruce, telling him a flight number and asking for a ride from the airport.

Diana told Alfred not to inform Kara. She would do so herself. Instead, she wanted Bruce brought to her office at Wayne Tower.

The woman rose and stood by the window, looking out over the city. Gotham may have lacked Metropolis’s glamor, but the skyline was still beautiful. Though there were many extensions of Wayne Enterprises worldwide, the main hub would always be Gotham.

Her parents loved Gotham City. Diana did as well, though she was not blind to its problems. She wouldn’t let Kara out of the manor to come to work or anywhere else without at least two bodyguards. Despite the money and work Diana had put into making Gotham safer, she knew that street crime was still present.

Diana’s phone buzzed and she paused a moment, hoping it was not Kara. With her mind in such turmoil, she didn’t want to give anything away before she had a chat with their brother. She also wanted to have this conversation with Kara in person.

To her relief, it was Air Force Captain Steve Trevor.

“How is my favorite CEO in the world?” he greeted her.

Diana smiled, something the sound of his voice caused her to often do no matter the mood she was in. “I haven’t decided yet. Can someone be incredibly angry, hurt and happy at the same time?”

There was a pause on the line until Steve cleared his throat. “So… either Kara made a breakthrough on some weapons system that will change the world then blew up her lab and blamed you for it, or I have done something wrong. Please tell me it’s Kara’s fault.”

Diana sighed, appreciating his humor and wishing it could help her mood. “Bruce called Alfred this evening. He is coming home. His flight should have landed a half hour ago. I told Alfred to bring him here.”

Diana could hear the sharp intake of breath Steve took as he came to grips with that information.

“Okay…” Steve started, obviously not sure what to say, “… has he contacted you yet, or tried to call you, or even told Alfred where the hell he has been for the last six years?”

“No. Alfred said he only asked to be picked up.” Diana answered. “I plan to get answers though.”

“Shit… does Kara know?” Steve asked.

Her mood calmed a little, comforted in being reminded how much the man cared for Kara too. “No. I want to speak to him first. I think Bruce wanted to go to the manor, but I am not going to have him surprise her. I will talk to her first.

“So, take my mind off this mess. Tell me you want to fly me to some exotic place I don’t have the time to visit. Better yet, tell me you are retiring and coming to work in our aeronautics division like I have been asking you to do for years now.”

Steve laughed. “I think it would be unprofessional to be romantically linked to the boss. What would the press say?”

Diana smiled now, his voice continuing to calm her. “So, I’ll dump you. At least I could see you more often. We could be roommates with benefits. You could move into the manor… Kara and Alfred love you…”

“Alfred does not love me.” Steve cut her off.

“Ok, that’s probably true, but Kara loves you. Alfred likes you though. He asked about you the other day.” Diana replied.

“What did he ask?” Steve asked hesitantly.

“He asked if you were ever going to make an honest woman of me. I told him I would never marry an Air Force pilot as they are much too arrogant for my taste. He was incredibly happy with my answer.” Diana answered, laughing at the mumbled grunt she heard from the other end of the line.

“Well, that sort of relates to the reason I’m calling.” Steve told her. “The meeting you are having tomorrow with the military bigwigs… I’m going to be there.”

Despite the affect Bruce’s impending arrival was having on her mood, Diana couldn’t help but perk up, happy at the thought of seeing Steve, but confused at his words. “What do you mean you are going to be there?”

The man cleared his throat, seeming a bit hesitant. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I didn’t want any surprises dropped on you.

“After the success of Kara’s new screw propellor design for the sub fleet and the next generation drones she made, the Defense Department is now prepared to give Wayne Enterprises whatever you want for an exclusive department focusing on weapons systems and stealth tech. The deal will agree to cut out competing companies making your company the sole suppliers of the U.S. Military. They also want you to consider having a member of the brass as a liaison between the company and the Defense Department which is where I come in. They want me to be the liaison and I’ve accepted their offer. All of this is conditional on you accepting the proposal, but from what I’ve been told, it could be a huge win for Wayne.

“It’s what you always wanted, Diana. They are willing to give you anything.”

Diana was stunned, not just at the possible proposal, but at what Steve was intimating. “Do you mean you would be staying in Gotham? Are you leaving the military? I might agree to marry you if that is true.”

Steve smiled warmly, feeling hopeful at her questions. She had ignored the information relating to the proposal, instead focusing on what his role would possibly mean for the two of them. “No, I won’t be leaving the Air Force, but I will be reassigned and staying in Gotham on a permanent basis.”

Diana was surprised to say the least. In the past, she would have been opposed to any government agents on site. Her paranoia of keeping trade secrets from close scrutiny was legitimate. Wayne Enterprises employed the top minds in the world and their research and development departments were highly-secured from anyone outside of a specific department. Only Kara and Diana knew what every department was working on.

But she trusted Steve. He always let her know who to trust and who to stay away from in regard to the government. She also trusted her father’s long time, good friend, General Samuel Lane.

Thomas Wayne saved Sam Lane from dying on a battlefield and the general always took it upon himself to look out for the Wayne family, especially Diana and Kara, advising them often on government relations.

It would be wonderful to have Steve around full time, but it would also cause her to consider many things about their relationship.

She and Steve had begun a love affair three years ago. Despite their distance from each other and the limited time the two had together, their love was strong.

Steve was perfect. He was brave, loyal, honest to a fault and understood her dreams, her goals, her drive.

But just as important to Diana, he had a great relationship with Kara who adored the man.

The problem was Diana.

She knew if she ever had a real shot at a long term, normal relationship or even marriage, she would have to tell Steve everything. She would have to explain how a strange woman in blood-soaked armor dropped her off at the door of Wayne Manor the night before Bruce was born, asking the Waynes to love and protect her.

She would have to explain the box the woman left behind, holding a sword that could cut through concrete without losing its edge, a shield that could block missiles if needed, gauntlets that when slammed together could cause a massive concussion wave. She would have to tell him about her armored boots and what Kara teasingly called her ‘armored lingerie’. The golden lasso would also be hard to explain, especially since neither Diana nor Kara had figured out how any of these items were even possible.

Diana and Kara had locked her secrets away in a hidden, yet highly-secured room in the hi-tech cavern located under Wayne Manor. Only Kara, Eliza Danvers, Bruce and Alfred knew of the secret room’s existence and its contents.

Diana would have to tell Steve that he had no idea how gentle she had to be with him because she was strong enough to break through steel and could lift a Land Rover with ease, jump over a mile and move faster than he could see.

Diana shook herself out of her spiraling thoughts. “So, you want a job in my building, but not working for me? You realize they offered it to you because of our relationship.”

“Yes, they did, and I plan to take full advantage of it.” Steve replied, not the least bit apologetic. “So, what do you say? Want to get in bed with the government… literally?”

The woman rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke. “I suppose we will see how the meeting goes, Captain Trevor. Just because your masters are dangling you in front of me like a carrot, doesn’t mean I will bite.

“For now, I have to deal with… what am I even going to say to him, Steve?”

Steve chuckled over the phone, but Diana heard no humor in it. “That bastard took off without a word, leaving you with the responsibility of your parents’ company and making sure Kara’s life wasn’t in danger while he has spent six years hiding from the world, not letting his family know if he was dead or alive. I think you have earned the right to say whatever you want to say to him. Listen, just be honest, get answers and decide if they are good enough. If they aren’t, well… make him disappear again.”

Diana chuckled. “I will see you in the morning. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Hopefully, if things go right, we can love each other in person more often. I’ll be up, so if you want to talk after this reunion, call me. I’m here to listen.”

The call ended and Diana began pacing the office. Another fifteen minutes passed before she heard the elevator ding on her floor.

She took a deep breath and stood in front of her desk. Alfred walked in first with Bruce behind him.

“Just… please listen to him, Diana.” Alfred said and walked out, leaving the faux twins alone.

Neither said a word, taking the other in. Bruce had grown taller and, despite the suit he was wearing, she could tell he had gained muscle. He had aged of course, no longer the twenty-two-year-old boy she had known, but a grown man. At twenty-eight, after years away, Diana could see the same haunted look in his eyes that was present when they were growing up. His eyes appeared older than his years, but he was still devastatingly handsome.

Bruce grinned at her and the two began walking towards each other. Once they were in reach of the other, Diana slapped him.

Bruce reeled, rubbing his face, grateful that she had not hit him anywhere near as hard as she was capable.

“I guess I deserved that.” The man admitted, his whole head now throbbing in pain.

Diana made no move to hug him, despite wanting to. Her hurt at his abandonment of her and Kara was battling with her relief that he was alive.

“Have a seat, Bruce.” Diana told him, motioning to a chair in front of her desk.

The man did as told while Diana walked behind her desk and took her seat.

“I like what you have done with the place.” Bruce told her, still massaging his jaw. “Wayne Enterprises has grown twenty percent in the last two quarters alone and Bunny has become the biggest innovator in decades. I used Wayne Enterprises newest cell phone to call Alfred.”

Diana smiled despite her rolling emotions, hearing Bruce call Kara ‘Bunny’.

When Kara was four, Martha had bought her a bunny suit for Easter. Kara wore it every chance she had for the next year, hopping around the house insisting she be called ‘Bunny’. Martha had to negotiate with the girl to wear something else so the suit could be washed, or the family could go out in public. Eventually, she grew out of the suit, but the nickname stuck.

“Kara is everything we always knew she would be.” Diana answered, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’m very proud of her.”

From what he had researched over the last few days, Bruce silently agreed. Diana and Kara Wayne were known worldwide, as was their missing and presumed dead brother. “I had hoped to see the both of you tonight, but Alfred told me you wanted to see me first.”

Diana’s smile was gone. “You are lucky you get to see her at all. She nearly died two years ago. A rare flu strain hit Gotham City and the designer drugs Eliza developed for her were not prepared for the strain. Kara went out dancing and the next morning she was vomiting and had a fever. Eliza had to put her into a medically induced coma to treat her. Her temperature spiked to 107 degrees, she was hallucinating, scared and certain she was going to die.

“Before she went into the coma, she held my hand and told me she wished she could say goodbye to you. It was weeks before she healed. Weeks before I knew if she would even live. I stayed by her side night and day, slept next to her bed. She had to have physical therapy after it was over.

“She never did get to say goodbye to you. I hope she does before you decide to disappear again.”

Bruce leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. He had believed that Eliza’s designer drugs and gene therapy had stabilized Kara when she was twelve which was the last time she was truly ill. It was like a splash of cold water to hear this and he felt sick to his stomach.

“I suppose by your reaction Alfred hasn’t told you anything?” Diana asked, watching him closely.

Bruce shook his head. “He said he was bringing me to you and to think of something to say to make you forgive me.”

Diana snorted, her eyes burning with anger and disappointment. “And have you? Where the hell have you been, Bruce? What was so important you disappeared? We had no idea if you were dead or alive. We knew nothing. I spent a fortune on investigators and no clues to your whereabouts were discovered. I had begun to believe your body was in a shallow grave in some third world country.”

Bruce sat back up and took in her anger. But behind that anger, he could see the hurt in his twin sister’s eyes. “I’m not you, Diana. I don’t have superpowers. No amount of training I did at home would have made a difference. I needed to understand criminals, live among the poor, the destitute, the victims and the perpetrators. I was never going to do that being Bruce Wayne. I could never be ready for our mission if I stayed. I left you a note because… because I knew you wouldn’t let me go.”

“God forbid I talked you into staying.” Diana’s replied sarcastically. “So you became a criminal, is that what you are saying?”

Bruce shook his head. “I traveled the world, hiked, hitchhiked, joined gangs, was held in a few prisons. I would usually escape after a month or so. I never became a criminal though.”

Diana laughed sharply. “You never became a criminal, but you spent time in prisons for a while and had to escape. You wanted to understand criminals, so you were obviously with criminals.”

“I only stole that which was mine. I never took anything that didn’t belong to Wayne Enterprises.” Bruce explained.

“That makes me feel so much better,” Diana replied, rolling her eyes. “But I would like to point out, you signed your shares away to Alfred before you disappeared, so technically, it all belonged to Kara, Alfred and me.”

Bruce grinned despite the circumstances. “I’m sure Alfred will sign the shares back over to me.”

“No, he won’t.” Diana stated without elaborating, merely watching her brother’s reaction.

The grin fell from his face, his brow furrowed. “Of course, he will. I left instructions for him to use them to help you if anything came up regarding the company with the understanding I would get them back when I returned.”

Diana smiled at his assumptions before she clarified the matter for him. “Well, he obviously didn’t get the memo because I bought them from him three years ago, a few months before taking over as CEO. While you are still one of the richest men in the world, provided he gives you the money from the sale, you no longer own any part of Wayne Enterprises.”

Bruce’s shocked expression was satisfying as he obviously assumed he would just walk back into their lives like he never left, at least in regards to the company.

Growing impatient and wanting to hear the rest of his story, she waved her hand for him to continue. “So, what is this mission you felt you had to prepare for? What was so important for you to do that you abandoned us with no word for six years?”

The shocked look gave way to surprise on Bruce’s face as his mouth dropped open in obvious disbelief. “Our mission, Diana. We talked about it constantly since Mom and Dad were killed. We promised we would make this city safe for people to live, do away with corruption, make criminals scared to walk the streets. We promised to fight to make sure what happened to us didn’t happen to any other kids. I’ve dedicated my life to that.”

“You certainly haven’t dedicated it to your family.” She replied heatedly, leaning forward to prop on her desk and pointing at her brother. “Those were words, Bruce. We were children. We thought we would run the streets at night and beat up muggers and drug dealers. Where did that get us? We put some criminals in hospitals and more replaced them. We wore black clothes and pretended to be heroes, not really making a difference. Is that what you plan to do still? Run around the streets, beating up bad guys? Please tell me you did not leave us so you could turn yourself into some sort of vigilante.”

Bruce shook his head, despondent at her reaction. “I don’t have your gifts, Diana. I had to make myself into more than a vigilante. I had to become something else.

“Speaking of your gifts, why haven’t you done anything? You could clean up crime in the Narrows in a week.”

Diana scowled darkly. “I have done something. I have backed honest politicians, judges, the District Attorney. I practically paid for their campaigns to make sure they got elected. I give Jim the latest in law enforcement equipment for free, give out grants to hire more police, pay for community improvement projects, youth programs, rehab clinics! You would know this if you had been around. We should have been doing all this together! All that talk… I never thought you had some dream of being a street fighter your whole life.”

Bruce shook his head. “All your efforts and criminals still run the streets at night. Gotham City doesn’t need more money, Diana. Criminals need to fear, to know they cannot prey on the weak without consequence. It needs a symbol.”

Diana stood up and walked around the desk. Bruce stood as well, stepping back on the chance that she may slap him again. “Why are you back, Bruce? What is your real reason?”

“To take back the city our parents loved.” He told her.

Diana frowned. “I’m sure Mom and Dad would love to know your plan. Go out and beat criminals up until you get killed.”

“Together…”

“There is no ‘together’, Bruce!” Diana yelled. “There hasn’t been a together since you walked out on us!”

Bruce watched Diana carefully, waiting for her to calm down. He had always been the more reasonable one of the two, so her anger was not unexpected. He had suspected this was the welcome he would get when Alfred told him that he would be taken to Wayne Tower. “I have a plan, Diana. With my skills, your strength, Kara’s mind, together we could…”

Diana scowled at the man, slowly advancing on him. “Do not dare bring us into whatever crazy scheme you have concocted. We have over two million employees worldwide who count on our company to provide them with jobs to support their families.

“So if you want to street fight with gangsters, be my guest. You will leave Kara and me out of this. When the media finds out you have been picking fights on the street, I’ll tell them you suffered from a mental illness that caused you to wander the world.

“I have a company at stake and our parent’s legacy to continue. Whatever harebrained scheme you have been planning for the past six years, we will not be a part of it.”

Bruce decided to let it go for now. Tonight wasn’t the time to try and convince her. Diana would come around eventually. He would talk to her, make her understand. “Let’s just drop it, okay? I have wanted to hug my sisters for six years. So, can you give me one hug?”

Diana walked slowly towards him, her anger taking a backseat to the fact that Bruce was alive and standing there with her. Wiping away the moisture from her eyes, she grabbed the man, pulling him tightly to her. Bruce grunted from the force but relaxed, enjoying her presence once more.

After a few moments Diana pulled back. “Have Alfred take you to the midtown penthouse. I don’t want Kara knowing yet. We have an important meeting in the morning. I will tell her afterward and send Alfred to bring you to the Manor. I hope you have a story to tell the press to explain your disappearance. I don’t want it getting out that Bruce Wayne has been slumming with criminals overseas for the past six years.”

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “I was thinking of telling them it was none of their business.”

“Avoidance is your best feature apparently.” She told him dryly. “The less you tell them, the more they will dig. Tell them you moved to a private island, were shipwrecked and stranded, off to see the world in disguise. Tell them something or I will. Perhaps I will say you were committed to a mental hospital and I had no knowledge of it.”

Bruce smiled, knowing she was probably serious about the mental hospital story. “What did you tell them when I disappeared?”

Diana tilted her head and shrugged. “I told them you had left, and we didn’t know where you were. That was all I knew.”

Bruce nodded. He knew the world wondered where he had gone but his family never actually reported him missing, likely due to the note he left.

“It’s only nine o’clock. No chance I could see Bunny tonight?” Bruce asked plaintively.

Diana shook her head. “She goes to sleep at nine on weeknights. She requires eight hours of sleep a night if possible. In the mornings, she exercises for an hour before breakfast, then goes in to work. It is a routine that has kept her alive.

“You’ve made her wait for six years, Bruce. You can wait for her for a night. I will see you tomorrow afternoon at the manor. I have many questions that you will answer, even if I have to use the lasso. It’s been kept in its box for years but perhaps it’s time to bring it out once more.”

Bruce dropped his head and sighed. He knew this reunion would not be smooth.

He stepped towards her and kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful, Diana. I’m glad we are together again. I will see you tomorrow and answer all your questions. I love you.”

Bruce walked out, leaving Diana standing in front of her desk. She didn’t move until the elevator doors closed.

She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, tears sliding unchecked down her face. “I love you too, Bruce.”