Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Outtakes

By BetterInTexas

Outtake 01: Lessons Learned

Thomas & Diana

Timeline: Origins; Diana, just after her 10th birthday

---

Diana excitedly followed her father into the lobby of Wayne Tower. The ten-year-old always got a thrill walking into the towering building that served as her father’s castle from where he ruled his empire.

Bruce had decided to go with their mother to take Kara for a ride around the city and play in a park since it was such a nice day, but Diana begged off when Thomas asked her to come with him for the day, just the two of them. As much as she loved watching Kara’s eyes light up in wonder when she played at a new place, one-on-one time with her Dad thrilled her.

She was amazed at how people reacted to him. They called him Thomas rather than Mister Wayne, but he seemed to welcome it. Despite the informal address, the respect they had for him was obvious.

“Thanks for coming with me, Princess. I know you wanted to be with Kara at the park.” Thomas remarked, putting a hand on her shoulder, the two walking along comfortably.

Diana shook her head. “She can get along without me for one day. She has Mom to smother her with love. I love to come here with you, Dad. Something about this place… it is so cool. I just love it.”

Thomas chuckled. “I’m glad. Because one day, this will all be yours.”

Her Dad had said things like this to her many times and she mostly laughed it off. Of course, he would say that. She supposed if he ever quit, she and Bruce would be boss but doubted it would ever happen. Her Dad was strong, larger than life. He would never quit or die. It wasn’t in his nature. Diana could see herself working with him one day. He would teach her to get the same respect he was shown by everyone.

They entered his private elevator and journeyed to the top floor where his office resided.

He said hello to his secretary and walked into his office, immediately pulling Diana’s smaller chair close to his desk to sit by his side.

He began showing her spreadsheets, graphs, explaining how the business units worked. Diana was a smart girl who picked up languages with ease. Though she didn’t consider herself as smart as her little sister, she knew she was smart in business. She relished learning everything her dad wanted to teach her.

“Dad, why do you let your employees call you by your first name?” Diana asked, curiously. “Shouldn’t they call you Mr. Wayne?”

Thomas looked thoughtful, then stood up and beckoned Diana to follow him. The two entered the elevator and went up a floor. When the elevator opened, Diana was met with the open air of the roof. A helicopter was parked on the massive structure along with a guard shack containing security personnel and a pilot.

Thomas walked Diana to the side of the building, only a few feet from the raised edge and held onto her hand.

“What do you see, Diana?” He asked, watching her intently.

Diana’s eyes widened as she looked out over the city, using all her enhanced senses. This was a more impressive view than his office. She felt the coolness of the wind contrasting against the warmth of the sun, could see distances beyond normal human vision and concentrated on filtering the noises all around her. In short, she felt the life of the city surrounding her.

“I see… Gotham City.” She replied simply, unable to fully explain what her senses opened up to her.

Thomas shook his head. “No, what you see is your kingdom. When I told you this will all be yours one day, I meant it. I will guide you, teach you, but this throne will be yours.”

“You mean mine and Bruce’s.”

Thomas looked sadly at her for a moment, then smiled gently. “Your brother is a fine young man. He could make a good doctor one day. But to rule over a kingdom… it takes something else. It takes a fire inside, an indominable will, cold steel in your veins.

“You see Diana, hot steel, when it is first forming, is malleable. It can be shaped, changed… warped. When I tell you that you have cold steel running through your veins, it means you are the kind of person that is immovable. You can’t be swayed by those weaker than you. You are what buildings like this are made of… the type of person needed to rule.”

“Bruce isn’t like that?” She asked.

“No, Princess, he isn’t.” Thomas sighed, running his hand through her hair fondly. “Diana, what I am about to tell you, everything from this point on, remains between us. You can tell no one, not your mother or brother. Do you promise?”

“Yes, Dad.” Diana immediately agreed, her heart pounding, knowing he was going to tell her a secret only she would know.

“You asked why my employees call me Thomas . I insist they do.” Her dad explained. “There are two ways to rule a kingdom. You can rule by fear or rule by respect. Fear will only get you so far. Those who would fear me will do as I ask, until a better offer comes along, and they leave.

“Those I treat with respect become loyal. They feel a bond with you, will go that extra mile for you and know you will always have their backs. That is true leadership. You don’t want to make people afraid not to follow you, you make people want to follow you.”

“I think I understand.” Diana replied. “They will do as asked for Mr. Wayne because they are afraid of losing their jobs, but they will do anything for Thomas Wayne because they want to be your friend.”

“Exactly.” Thomas smiled, pleased she understood.

“Why can’t Bruce rule as well? He is a Wayne by blood.”

Thomas frowned. “We have had this talk before, Diana. Family is more than blood could ever be. You and Kara are my daughters. Never mention blood again. You are a Wayne. You are the perfect Wayne. Strong, fierce, protective, not afraid to do what is necessary to protect your siblings.

“Bruce… he is like me… at least he is like a part of me I had to push down when I become the CEO of Wayne Enterprises.”

Diana waited for him to tell her more, rather than ask questions and her patience was rewarded.

“I was once a doctor, as you know. I wanted to help people. My whole life was about helping others. Then I went to war.”

“But you still helped people.” Diana pointed out. “You saved Alfred and Major Sam.”

Thomas nodded. “I also killed people, Diana. I killed enemies to protect my own. That was the start.”

Diana listened, waiting for more but her father seemed lost in thought, so she asked, “The start of what?”

“My journey to reality…. my journey to becoming the person I had to be to run this company.” Thomas told her. “I tried to regain it, the part of me that only wanted to heal. Then my father died, and I understood… that part of me was never going to return. I had to take control of this company. A doctor could not lead Wayne Enterprises. I had to give myself over to the second part of my nature fully, the part that was like my father.”

“A king.” Diana understood. “So, Bruce can’t lead because he is like your old self. He is like a doctor?”

Thomas sighed. “Diana, if someone tried to harm Bruce or Kara, or your mother, what would you do?”

“Hurt them.” Diana immediately said.

Thomas nodded approvingly. “What do you think Bruce would do?”

Diana went completely still. It became crystal clear to her when she thought about it.

Bruce liked to get along. Kids picked on him at times and Diana had to step in for him, protect him. No one ever picked on Diana. They knew better. Eventually, kids left Bruce alone. They understood.

Bruce was a healer, but Diana was a protector.

“It takes a warrior to lead, Diana.” Thomas told her, seeing she understood. “You are that warrior. You will protect the ones you love.

“When you are at the top, there will always be people who want to take you down. They will want to see you fall to those streets far below. You aren’t the type of person who would fall. You would throw someone else off a building before that happens. I see so much of who I am now, who I am required to be, in you, Diana. If something were to ever happen and I could not be around, you would be the one taking care of your siblings and mother. This company will be in your hands when I step down or am no longer able to carry on. This is a great burden, a heavy responsibility.”

Diana was quiet, deep in thought. They stood on the roof, hand in hand, looking at the city, both pondering possible futures.

“The world looks so different up here.” She finally said. “On the ground, you look up at all these beautiful old buildings and they look so perfect. But from the top, you see their roofs. The ugliness, the trash, the air conditioning units hidden from those on the streets.”

Thomas nodded approvingly. “The view is always different from the top.”

Diana sighed. “How will I know? How will I know what to do, when to do it? How will I know when to rule with fear and when to rule with respect?”

Her father smiled… happy she was asking the right questions as he knew she would.

He reached out, gripping both her shoulders, squeezing gently, a reassuring smile on his face. “I will teach you, Diana. I will tell you things that must never be spoken to your mother or siblings. They would not understand. They don’t need to understand. Life is perfect for them, and they deserve to have a perfect life. Only people like us know what it takes to keep that façade in place for them.

“Let’s go home, Princess. Your mother and your siblings should be home by now.”

Diana sighed, not wanting to leave yet. She wanted to walk around the Tower with her father on different floors, watch the respect he was given, watch how he dealt with people.

Yet, she felt invigorated. He had told her secrets; things others would not know. He placed a great responsibility on her because she had cold steel running through her veins. It meant she could not be broken. She knew it had nothing to do with this physical strength she had. She reminded him of himself, and in her mind, her dad was unstoppable. That meant Diana was unstoppable.

The next afternoon, she and her mom were at the table with Kara. The little blonde was standing on a chair with her arms crossed and a pout on her cute face, unhappy that her screwdriver had been taken from her. She had taken apart a toaster and the parts were scattered across the counter where she had climbed up to reach it.

“Precious baby,” Martha started, “You cannot take things apart. Not without someone with you.”

“You always tell me no.” Kara argued, giving her mother a hard stare worthy of Paddington Bear.

Diana shook her head. “Kara, you could have been shocked. The cord was plugged in. Do you know what electricity is?”

Kara scrunched up her face at Diana in annoyance. “I ‘vented ‘tricity.”

“You did not invent electricity, sweet baby.” Martha said.

“Did so. I ‘vented everything! Lemme put da toaster back toget’er. I make you toast!” she offered, hoping to get the screwdriver back from her mother’s hand.

“No, you broke the rules. You took something apart without asking and nobody was with you. You don’t get your screwdriver back, or any other tools.” Martha said as sternly as she was able.

Kara’s mouth dropped. “I want screwdriver! It’s my fav’wite. It has blue handle!”

“Kara, I said no. It’s time for your nap. Let me take you to your room and I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.” Martha offered, moving to help her down from the chair.

Instead of letting her mother touch her, Kara jumped down in a huff and ran out of the room as fast as her three-year-old legs would carry her.

Diana looked at her mother and laughed.

“It’s not funny, Diana.” She said, but a small smile was gracing her face. “We have to watch her more closely. The cord, if she had touched the… I’m not sure what she could touch, but it wouldn’t have been good.”

“I think she knows what she is doing, Mom. She did invent electricity.”

“Funny girl, huh?” Martha said with a smirk. “Let’s go.”

Diana and her mother ascended the stairs. Kara was in bed, curled into a ball… clutching a red screwdriver in her tiny hand.

“Where does she hide these things?” Martha whispered in disbelief, irritated at Diana’s chuckling.

At that moment, Thomas walked in, kissed Kara on the forehead, gently extracting the screwdriver from the sleepy blonde as Martha settle beside her and asked if he could borrow Diana.

Diana followed him and they walked outside, past the pond and into the woods inside the walls of the manor.

Thomas climbed into an old hunting blind and Diana followed him up. The hunting blind was mostly empty, only a gun and a set of binoculars along with wide wooden bench where they sat next to the large cut out window.

“Today, we talk about nature. We talk about predators and prey.” Thomas told her quietly.

He picked up the binoculars and began searching the trees around them, before leaning back and pointing to a tree to their left.

“Practice using your enhanced vision. Find the big birdie.” He instructed.

Diana had to scan the area a few times before her eyes landed on a well-concealed hawk.

“Impressive bird, isn’t it?” Her father asked quietly.

“It’s a hawk, right?” she asked, her voice low like her dad’s.

Thomas nodded. “A bird of prey. Birds of prey are good examples of what it takes to lead. Hawks prefer to hunt just before the sun sets, when daylight is at its weakest. It operates in the shadows. During the day it is an impressive bird: noble, beautiful, majestic. But when necessary, the hawk uses its talons to catch the prey then uses its beak to kill. This is his territory. He keeps a close eye on everything and keeps his area clean.”

“How does he do that?” Diana asked.

“He eats those which he does not like. Rodents, reptiles, frogs and even snakes.” Thomas’s eyes widened. “Shhh! He has spotted something.”

The two watched the bird go from its nearly hidden spot and swoop down, bringing a rat up and flying off with it.

“No emotion, no hesitation, just action. It needed to feed. It didn’t want a rat in its area, so he took it and killed it. You will have enemies like this in business. Rats, snakes, and so forth. They may appear as harmless as squirrels but are still rodents or reptiles. They will all want something from you. Many will want everything they can get from you.”

“I should eat them? Kinda gross, Dad.” Diana joked.

Thomas laughed. “No, but you should attack, just like that hawk did. No talk, no posturing, no arguing. When an adversary walks into your territory and you do not want them there, you attack with no warning.

“Never appear to lose your temper in public. It’s a weakness and a warning you are going to attack. Make a plan and follow through quickly before they have time to react. Be like the hawk. No warning, no emotion, no sign of attack.”

Thomas looked around with his binoculars. “I knew soldiers like that hawk. When I was in war, I could always tell who the predators were and who were the prey. So many times, I performed surgery on the injured, but I could tell if they were going to live or die by their countenance. Predators fought with everything they had to live. Prey simply wanted the fear and pain to be over, they wanted to rest and gave up.”

“Why would anyone give up?” Diana asked, astonished at this statement.

“Some didn’t have a choice because of their injuries, but… some people just aren’t fighters. They aren’t you, Diana. Sam Lane was shot in the gut and a week later was demanding to be let out of the hospital so he could continue the fight. Alfred was shot and had a chance to escape. Instead, he tried to carry one of his fellow soldiers from the battlefield and was shot again. I ran to him, treated him while he kept his rifle in his hand, covering my back as I treated his bleeding wounds then carried him out.

“People may seem the same, but their differences are never more pronounced than when in battle and life is on the line. Those are the types of people you surround yourself with, the brave, the strong… the birds of prey.”

Diana thought about that and almost smiled despite the horrible story. The idea of battlefield heroics had always fascinated her.

“What about my friends now?” She asked.

“You tell me.” Thomas instructed her. “You know them best. Tell me about them.”

Diana gave it some thought. “Silver is strong. She backs down to no one. She isn’t afraid to stand up to me or tell me what she thinks.”

Thomas nodded, having noticed that himself. “And Rachel?”

Diana’s face fell. “She is unsure. She needs protection often. I love her so, I do. Yet when I encourage her to stand up for herself, she won’t. She is meek.”

“Do you think that will ever change?” Thomas asked.

Diana shrugged.

“I don’t know, but I love her so I must protect her, like I’ve protected…” Diana stopped talking, not wanting to share that.

Regardless, Thomas knew. “Like you’ve protected Bruce on playgrounds at school when you were both younger. I know, Diana.”

“I told him I would never tell you.” Diana whispered, dismayed.

“You haven’t. I already knew, Diana.” Her father assured her. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset. It’s another example of you protecting family.”

Thomas paused… his keen eyes locked onto the ground in front.

“I see an Easter Cougar. They are interesting creatures. They are deadly and hard to keep off our land because they can climb stone walls easily. This one has been setting off our security system the past couple of weeks. Eastern Cougars do not often attack humans but when a human encounters one, they become very dangerous. Attacks have happened. Do you know what to do if you encounter a cougar?”

Diana smirked. “I think I can handle a cat, Dad.”

Thomas smiled at her cheekiness. “Fair enough. Do you know what your siblings or mother would have to do?”

Diana shook her head.

“They couldn’t look it in the eyes. The cat takes that as a challenge. You can’t run. Their predator instincts kick in and give chase. A person has to make themselves appear bigger. They must raise their hands, walk towards it, make a lot of noise, the louder the better.

“Tell me, if your mother were out here with Kara, do you think she could do any of that?” Thomas asked.

Diana shook her head, the idea giving her chills.

“What would Bruce do if he was alone?”

Diana winced but told her father the truth. “He would run.”

Thomas nodded. “He would be in danger. All of them could be hurt. Put your hands over your ears, Diana.”

Diana did as she was told and watched her father take the rifle in the stand and slowly take aim. It wasn’t an easy shot. The cougar was well hidden in the underbrush, roughly forty yards away. Her father’s eyes were sharp though, no doubt from his military experience.

She didn’t jump when he fired, keeping her eyes on the big cat and saw it fall over immediately. It had been a head shot.

“I think I understand, Dad.” Diana told him.

Thomas rubbed her head. “I know you do, Princess. It was a wild animal. There was no way to reason with it or frighten it into leaving permanently. We couldn’t keep it from coming back. The only way I had to ensure it never hurt my family was to end its life.”

Thomas and Diana began walking back to the manor.

“Are you upset I killed the cougar?” he asked, as they neared the great house.

Diana shook her head. “No, it was a beautiful creature, but was a danger. Killing it was necessary, so you acted not only to protect our family now but in the future.”

“Exactly. Always remember to think of another way if possible.” He instructed. “Only use deadly force if there is no choice. In this instant, there was no other choice. The cougar was a danger in our territory.”

“What should I do if there is no other way? What if it isn’t an animal? What if it is something more dangerous than an animal, smarter than an animal?” Diana asked, knowing her dad would know what she meant.

“Don’t get caught.” He told her with a wink, causing her to smile. “We will speak next time about measured responses. The punishment must fit the crime for you to be a fair ruler. Killing should always be a last resort but protecting your family must always be your priority.”

When the two returned, Martha greeted them at the door.

“Did you two have fun? Bruce was looking for you, Thomas. I don’t think he was happy you left without him.” She said, a bit of admonishment in her voice.

“Dad took me to see a family of bunnies. The babies were so adorable.” Diana explained, lying easily. “I doubt Bruce would have been interested in bunnies.”

Martha snorted. “Good point. Now wash up you two. Dinner is almost served. I have a pot roast in the oven for my grown-ups and Kara and I will be sharing a plate of salmon and yogurt.”

Martha walked off, leaving Diana and Thomas alone.

“I have books for you to read in the library, Princess. On the far left, as you walk inside, in the corner there is a section on the bottom shelf reserved for you. Read before bed every night. The first book I want you to start with is called The Art of War .”

“Yes, Dad.” Diana replied.

She hugged him, then ran off to wash up.

Thomas watched her go, proud and a bit sad. Martha would not like him teaching her what it took to lead a billion-dollar business. His wife didn’t know what it took to protect this family. She didn’t know that he had Falcone’s wife and children kidnapped after the gangster had threatened her and Diana. These were things she didn’t need to know.

It took a special kind of person to do those things. It took someone loving and protective but fierce, able to make the hard calls, the unpopular choices. It required someone who inspired loyalty of those closest to them and fear to those who chose to be an enemy.

Diana was perfect. She would keep them all safe one day. If Thomas ever fell to a business enemy, or his high cholesterol, Diana would be the one to keep this family together.

It was a heavy burden to place on one so young, but she was born for this. He knew wherever she had come from before she was given to him, she had been a princess.

One day, she would be a queen and Thomas would have her prepared to be the greatest warrior queen this world has ever known.