Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Rise

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 03:

Downtown Gotham

Bruce walked out of the luxury apartment building, one of many around Gotham that housed the division managers of Wayne Enterprises. He stood quietly for a moment, taking in the city during the daylight hours for the first time in years, comforted in the sense of security it still gave him.

It was only at night that the city showed the ugly side of itself. It was the night he feared, when the worst of Gotham came out to play. Night was when his parents had been gunned down and he stood, too afraid to move.

Night was where he would conduct his mission. Soon criminals would fear the night as he once did.

For now, he simply wanted to spend time with his sisters. His reunion with Diana the night before had been anything but touching, nothing like he imagined it would be in his more optimistic dreams during his years away.

He understood her pain and resentment… saw the intense anger flashing in her eyes as she looked at him. He also understood he had left her with the weight of the family’s empire and Kara’s care on her shoulders.

That weight had taken its toll.

It felt good when he hugged her, her willingness to at least acknowledge their sibling bond comforted him but as for the rest of the visit, he felt on the defensive.

Diana was no longer the optimistic business student he had left. This woman had tutored under Lucius Fox and had become a feared and respected CEO in the time he had been gone. Though she looked the same, if not more refined and beautiful, she had changed. Bruce wondered how long it would be before the bond between the two was cemented again or if it ever would be.

Though they learned they were not blood related when they were five years old, it never affected their relationship. Bruce and Diana were twins as far as they were concerned, closer than any blood bond could bring two people. After their parents died, they had two common goals: to keep Kara alive and save the city from the scum that emerged when the sun went down.

Now, he was haunted by the look on Diana’s face when she spoke of Kara, explaining to him that her little sister, whom she loves more than anyone, had nearly died… and he wasn’t there for them.

At one time, he had been close to his little sister too. While Kara practically worshipped Diana, Bruce was the one she would pick on, prod into playing dolls with her, play tricks on, constantly seeking his attention when it was time to have fun.

She was the light that kept him and Diana from falling completely into darkness after their parents’ deaths.

Now, he had to wait to see her.

First, as Alfred explained, the two had an important meeting with government officials this morning possibly concerning a new government contract for Wayne Enterprises.

The second was the medical check Alfred informed him he would have to undergo with Eliza Danvers. Diana made this mandatory for anyone coming from overseas who could possibly have contact with Kara.

Alfred had offered to drive him, but he needed to get away for a bit, soak up the city, and clear his head before meeting Kara this afternoon. He donned a grey hoodie, baseball cap, jeans and a pair of sunglasses and began his walk.

He couldn’t help but think of his last interaction with his youngest sister on the night he left, over six years ago.

The nightmares had gotten increasingly intense over the years and, despite the training with Alfred, he did not feel strong enough. Diana may have been able to lift buildings, heal quickly, was fast enough to catch bullets if she needed to, but Bruce certainly wasn’t. He knew three forms of martial arts but was not an expert in any of them.

He stayed in business school with his sister, knowing what was expected of him. While she fast tracked through everything with a single-minded intensity, he had less than stellar grades. He simply wasn’t interested in business or schooling of any kind. His mind had been too focused on his desire to do something, anything, to fight back against the criminals infesting Gotham as he never had been able to before.

Bruce knew he would never be strong enough unless he stopped being Bruce Wayne, one of the elite who stayed in an ivory tower, or castle as the case may be.

He would not tell anyone of his plans. The man would leave a note for his sister, telling her he had to prepare himself. Diana would understand.

Wanting to spend some time with his youngest sister, he found the fifteen year old in the garage, as usual.

She was sitting on a bench, biting her lip in concentration, working on an engine she had been building for the past week.

It was Kara in her element, wearing the same work clothes she always did.

She had grease smudged on her t-shirt, her glasses were slightly askew, and the knees of her jeans were worn out. She was also wearing her old “comfy” sneakers as she called them despite the fact Diana preferred her in work boots when building things in her workshop to help protect her feet.

But she wasn’t wearing gloves.

“Kara? Where are your gloves?” Bruce asked, knowing that one small cut to her hand could lead to an infection that simple antibiotic cream would not heal.

Kara looked up and smiled brightly, a smile that normally would have brightened his day. This moment though all he felt was annoyance bordering on anger.

“I had to reach into the engine block to attach some wires to the battery. The gloves made my fingers too thick.” She explained.

Something that stupid. That was a problem with Kara. She never realized such a simple thing could cause so much trouble or just didn’t care. Rules had been laid down for a reason and that was to keep her safe.

“So you felt this project was worth breaking the rules and risking your health?” he asked. Normally he would have just lightly chided her, asked her to wash her hands and put her gloves back on. Tonight though, the pressure, the enormity of what he was about to do, pushed his irritation over the brink to pure anger.

“I was careful.” Kara told him, her face scrunching up slightly, obviously confused at his tone.

Of course, she was confused. At the time, Bruce wondered how she would live without him to watch over her, if Diana and Alfred would be enough.

“Do you want to live in a bubble? People without access to our resources who have your condition live in bubbles, Kara! Do you want to die?” His tone was approaching hysterical.

Kara seemed to shrink into herself. “No, I don’t want to die. I want to live, and I also want to finish this engine tonight. It’s my first college project. If something happens, I will tell Alfred or Diana and they can call…”

“Exactly! If you screw up, other people have to be called to fix your mistakes!” Bruce shouted.

Kara stood up and stepped back, away from her older brother, hands raised, trembling in the wake of his unexpected ranting. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Why are you so angry?”

Bruce shook his head. “You would ask that. You are a genius, and you live in some dream land where everything is perfect! People won’t always be there to save you from yourself, Kara! You are weak! You are sick and maybe it’s time you started living like it instead of counting on everyone else to keep you living in your perfect world! You wear gloves! It’s that simple! If you get an infection and lose your hand…”

“That is enough, Bruce.” Diana’s voice cut in, her tone cold.

He turned and scowled at his twin sister. Diana was calm and collected as always, though the slight redness in her cheeks and the look she directed at him showed exactly how enraged she truly was.

Diana’s countenance softened as she looked at her sister. “Kara, sweetie, go wash your hands, put on your gloves and come back to finish your project. If you need help reaching into small crevices let me know. I have slender hands. It will be fun to work on a project with you.”

Kara shook her head. “Bruce is right. It was stupid. I shouldn’t have…”

Diana shook her head and walked over, pulling Kara into a hug. She leaned back slightly and kissed her sister’s forehead, rubbing her back soothingly, trying to calm her. “No, it’s ok. Things come up from time to time and if something did happen, I would make it right… I will always make it right. You don’t have to be scared.

“Bruce is just acting like an asshole, more so than usual tonight. He probably ate something that didn’t agree with him or Selina broke up with him again because she is a slut who prefers to hang out in ghettos.

“Go wash your hands then the two of us will continue working, okay?”

Kara nodded, a small smile for her sister, and looked once again at Bruce. He could see she was embarrassed and on the verge of tears and his anger dissipated immediately. He had no idea where it came from in the first place. He had wanted to spend some time with Kara before he disappeared for who knew how long.

Instead, he had made an ass of himself and verbally attacked her.

Diana smiled fondly at her as she left the garage quickly.

Once the door was closed, Diana’s pleasant face disappeared. She turned to him, eyes flashing, her face red with fury.

He found himself pressed against the far wall, the back of his head instantly in pain as it slammed into the wall, his toes barely touching the floor, her hand on his throat.

“Have you lost your mind?!” Diana’s voice thundered in his ears as he gasped for breath.

Diana let him go, thinking perhaps he would speak. He fell back into the wall, breathing deeply until his head stop spinning. Still Bruce couldn’t answer, because he didn’t know anymore.

When he said nothing, she stepped back. “I heard you yelling at her from the other side of the house.”

“Not unusual for you.” Bruce commented, referencing the superhuman powers that seemed to grow stronger as she aged.

Diana glared at him. “I doubt she left her gloves off on purpose. She just turned fifteen, is in one of the most prestigious technical universities in the world and is excited about her first project. She forgot to put them back on. These things happen. If she were to accidentally cut herself, then yes, other people will save her from infection. That is what they are paid for.”

Seeing him still unwilling to answer her, she grabbed his chin, so he was forced to look her in the eye. “What the hell is wrong with you? You made her cry! What did she do to you? You think it is easy to live her life, Bruce? To need a sedative to sleep at night because her mind never shuts off?

“She has to eat differently than normal people, she can’t socialize in large gatherings without risk. She follows the extremely strict rules we have placed on her. She undergoes intense medical treatments every week that leave her sick for hours afterward, sometimes days. You think that is easy? I would like to see you try to live her life. You wouldn’t last a day, you asshole!”

Bruce knew Diana was right. If he had to live her life, it would drive him madder than he already was.

“I’m sorry.” He told his twin sincerely.

Diana continued to stare, her anger not abating one bit, but she did release him and step back again. “You will leave her alone tonight. In the morning, you are going to apologize to her for being an asshole! I’m going to coax her back in here and try to stop the tears I know are falling right now because she thinks she disappointed you.

“God, Bruce, I swear I don’t know what is wrong with you anymore.”

Bruce nodded and walked out quickly.

He never did apologize to Kara. He left before dawn with a note on his bed.

Remembering that night, he was worried about what Kara’s reaction to him might be. She had loved him, and he assumed she would be glad to see him. It was difficult to make her angry. But she was always scared and that night he had frightened her, made her cry, something he hated to see her do.

He really only had one question with no clue as to the answer… Would she be angry?

Kara had always followed Diana’s lead. If she sensed Diana was angry, she would be angry, or at least her version of angry.

But she had asked for him when she thought she was dying.

And he hadn’t been there.

Four blocks away from his destination, he was surprised to hear his name being called out. He had thought his disguise would work until he and Diana announced his return.

But of course he was recognized by one of his oldest friends, Rachel Dawes, Gotham City Assistant District Attorney.

He motioned to the corner of the block and stepped into an alleyway, the woman close behind.

Rachel stared at him with wide eyes. “After you were gone so long, I thought you were dead.”

She brushed his hoodie back as if to make sure it was him.

Bruce shook his head. “Nope, just needed some time to find myself.”

“Six years?” She asked in obvious disbelief.

Bruce took a deep breath and nodded. “We are probably going to announce my return tomorrow. I just flew in last night.”

Rachel’s actions were hesitant. She was obviously being cautious about something. “So… Diana knows?”

Bruce sighed, and confirmed that she did. “She had me brought to the Tower. Diana said she and Kara had an important meeting this morning and didn’t want Kara distracted. She asked me not to go to the manor until this afternoon. I was also overseas so Eliza needs to check me out for nasty bugs before I can see her.”

Rachel shook her head. “Diana asked, huh? Not really her style, Bruce. You’ve missed a lot since you have been gone.

“You should know, they have changed. Your sisters are famous all over the world. You must have seen some news, right? It doesn’t begin to tell the whole story.”

Bruce was surprised to note a bitter tone to her voice. Not sure what was going on, he proceeded carefully. “I didn’t exactly have news where I was. I read a bit on the flight back. I understand they are both doing well, and the company’s profits have tripled since Diana became Vice President under Lucius and over the past three years as CEO. Kara’s innovations in clean energy, cellular service, cyber security, operating systems… they even had the best-selling video game of all time. I always expected them to do well.”

Rachel snorted. “Did you ever expect your little sister to be making weapons for the U.S. Government?”

Bruce definitely heard bitterness now. “I wouldn’t think you would have an issue with Wayne Enterprises protecting our country.”

Rachel looked at Bruce with a bit of sadness. She obviously thought he had no idea who Kara was.

Maybe he didn’t know anymore.

Wanting to continue the conversation, he said, “I have an hour before I am checked out. Want to go back to the penthouse and have some lunch? Alfred is still there.”

Rachel gritted her teeth. “The last time I visited a Wayne property, I was literally thrown out.”

Seeing the look of surprise on his face, she shook her head in obvious disappointment. “I showed up at Wayne Manor to try and reason with Diana. Security let me onto the property. I suppose I hadn’t been taken off the list. Diana opened the door and before I could say hello, she was on her phone. Seconds later, two security guards arrived from the side of the house, took me by the arms and threw me out the front gate.”

Bruce was not totally surprised. Diana had been as angry as he was when Rachel told them her boss had offered Joe Chill a deal to testify against Falcone. Bruce had refused to speak to Rachel for months and left the week before the hearing.

Diana was strangely quiet when he brought up Rachel’s name, but he knew she was seething. Rachel and Silver St. Cloud had been Diana’s best friends since grade school. The three were inseparable when on school grounds and if Diana hung out with anyone after school, it was one or both.

Bruce sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that but you couldn’t have been surprised. Rachel, you knew how our family felt about that deal. Have the two of you talked at all since then?”

Rachel laughed and shook her head. “Talked? You really don’t know what happened, do you? I was hoping… I thought you may come back after it all went down, that you would try and reason with her, but you didn’t.”

He shook his head, confused. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I haven’t been in contact with my family at all since I left.”

The look she gave him was one of absolute disgust. “Bruce, Diana destroyed my life. I don’t even live in Gotham anymore. I’m only here to visit my mom.”

To say Bruce was stunned, would’ve been an understatement.

Rachel had been born and raised in Gotham. The idea of her not living here was unimaginable. So was the idea of Diana destroying Rachel’s life. Yes, Diana was vindictive, but she always looked out for Rachel growing up, even talked their parents into sending Rachel to the same school Diana and Bruce attended.

“So you aren’t an ADA here any longer?” He asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

“Bruce, I’m not even a lawyer anymore.” She replied, contemptuously. “I’m still licensed but I don’t work in law.

“After you left, the hearing took place. Diana and Kara arrived in court, and didn’t say a word as my boss, Carl Finch, asked the court to approve the deal to let Chill out providing he testify. The judge asked Diana if the Wayne family had anything to say. Diana said, ‘Yes’, then stood up and walked out with Kara behind her.”

“I’m guessing what Diana had to say couldn’t be said in court?” Bruce questioned, still trying to grasp what his old friend was saying.

Rachel nodded. “What she had to say wasn’t even in words. Everything went according to plan. Chill testified and put Falcone and his top lieutenants away. He went into witness protection and Falcone went to prison for life. It was only then that I understood what Diana meant.

“Carl thought he had reelection in the bag. He had just taken down one of the biggest organized crime bosses in the world. But it didn’t matter. A guy named Harvey Dent ran for DA and he was backed by Wayne Enterprises.

“Dent started a campaign, criticizing the police and District Attorney’s office for needing testimony from Joe Chill to convict Falcone instead of gathering evidence themselves without releasing a convicted murderer.”

Bruce snorted, having thought the same thing at the time, but he hadn’t thought of it since, done his best to block out the events that he knew would have occurred after his departure. He wasn’t sure if he had been around if he could have stopped himself from killing the man who murdered his parents.

“She had a point.” Bruce admitted.

“It didn’t stop there.” Rachel told him. “She had a candidate for mayor, she backed judges, district and federal, exploiting loopholes in election laws to privately fund their campaigns.”

“Weeding out corruption is bad? I thought you, of all people, would appreciate it, Rachel.” Bruce pointed out.

“I do but not all those she replaced were corrupt. Her candidate destroyed the judge who approved the Chill deal. The new mayor fired the police commissioner and appointed your old friend, Jim Gordon, in his place within three hours of being elected. Not long after that, Harvey Dent came to my office and fired me. Diana had all her people where she wanted them and those she didn’t want were…”

Rachel hesitated.

“What Rachel?”

“Let’s just say Carl and I never worked as lawyers again. Carl couldn’t get hired by even the smallest of district attorney departments in the U.S.… I couldn’t either. No one would hire either of us. Carl couldn’t bring himself to work as a defense attorney, so he worked as a librarian at a law library at West Virginia University. He became an alcoholic and committed suicide last year.

“As for me, I couldn’t even get an interview. In fact, I was called for an interview once in Norman, Oklahoma for the County Attorney’s Office. A day before my interview, I received another call saying the position had been filled. Your sister blackballed me and my former boss.

“I’m living in Metropolis now, working for LuthorCorp in their Real Estate Contracts Division. I could barely get a job there. Despite how much dislike Lex Luthor has for your family company, even he is afraid of Diana. I’m basically a clerk, double checking land deeds and I think he only hired me to piss her off in some small way.”

Bruce was speechless. Diana had told him she had replaced corrupt officials with honest politicians, but he had no idea how coordinated an attack it was or that she had gone after one of their oldest friends.

Rachel continued as he was still trying to wrap his mind around what she was saying. “Your sister runs Gotham City and has so many United States Senators and Congressmen in her back pocket… she is a king maker and holds more power over United States policy than the President.

“Diana is ruthless, Bruce. I always knew she had it in her, but I never thought it would go this far.”

Bruce thought about what she had told him, finally looking at Rachel through the lens of this new information. Now that he was over the shock of seeing her, he could tell she had changed greatly.

He had never seen the bitterness in her eyes he saw now. Rachel had always been the more optimistic of the three. She and Diana had even been close, but this had not stopped Diana from destroying Rachel for betraying her.

“When you told me about the deal, you told me sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.” Bruce reminded her. “You told me that you understood there would be consequences, the hard feelings of my family in letting Chill go, but it was worth it.”

“I still believe that.” She told him.

“Did you never think those consequences would extend to you? You knew you ran the risk of angering Diana. You expected her to understand that, while it hurt, what you did was for the greater good. So tell me, was losing your career not worth the greater good?” Bruce asked pointedly. “You, of all people, knew what happened to people that crossed her.”

Rachel snorted derisively and patted him on the shoulder. “Just be careful, Bruce. Diana isn’t the same girl you left. Kara isn’t either. Those achievements you talked about came from her divisions and Kara hires the best. She spends most of her time making weapons. She may look the same, but she isn’t innocent. Some people are already calling her ‘Lady Death’.

“Watch out for Silver, too. That is one thing that hasn’t changed. Silver still does whatever dirty work Diana asks of her. Watch your back.”

Rachel turned to walk back to the sidewalk then stopped. Turning back, she said, “You should also know, Joe Chill lasted six months in Witness Protection. One day, he never showed for work. Marshals checked his apartment and found his hand on the kitchen table. His body was never recovered. They suspect the mob found him.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Did you think the mob wouldn’t go after him? Wait… are you telling me you think Diana hired someone to take him out? Come on, Rachel. I get that she hated you…”

“I don’t think Diana would ever hire someone to do that.” Rachel stated, interrupting him. “Seems like something she would do in person. Like I said, you don’t know her anymore, Bruce.

“If you want to see Kara, you should probably get to Eliza’s. Diana’s word is always final. No exam, no visiting little sister.”

Bruce was left staring after Rachel, deep in thought, as she disappeared into the flow of foot traffic leaving him alone in the slightly dim alley.

If what Rachel had said was true, Diana had systematically ruined Rachel’s life and anyone involved with Joe Chill being released from prison.

Diana wouldn’t kill the man though.

Would she?

He ignored the part of himself that knew Diana was perfectly capable of killing when it came to her family.

Joe Chill killed their parents. Diana would never let that stand and got revenge. It was as simple as that.

Bruce continued walking toward the clinic but pulled his phone out as he did so.

Alfred answered immediately. “You haven’t brought any weird viruses back with you I hope.”

Wasting no time, Bruce asked, “Alfred what happened to Gertrude Dawes?”

He heard Alfred sigh on the other end of the line. “So… Rachel Dawes is in town for a visit. She would be the only one who would recognize you after all this time in that outfit.

“Gertrude is at an exclusive retirement community nearby. She is more than comfortable and has more than she could possibly desire. She worked for your parents for many years and just as your father did, Diana makes sure her people are cared for.”

“So Diana…”

“Only destroyed Rachel’s life and the life of those associated with his release.” Alfred told him. “Lucius Fox knew what she was doing but did nothing to stop her. I think he may have approved and given her tips. While most heiresses spend their money on clothes and yachts, Diana has made Gotham safer by equipping the city’s police force and weeding out corruption.

“Now, if you wish to see Kara this afternoon, you need to hurry. I will be by Eliza’s laboratory in forty-five minutes to pick you up. The meeting is over, and Diana is talking to Kara now. Kara will be at the manor this afternoon. We wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”

Bruce cleared his throat and asked the question he had been afraid to think on too long himself. “Alfred, the last time I spoke to Kara… and I left… do you think she will want to see me? Or be glad…”

“I know your sisters love you, Bruce. As far as Kara’s reaction… I couldn’t say. She has gone through much since you have been gone. Hurry along now.”

Bruce did so, picking up the pace and keeping his head down, not bothering to take in the sights now. He arrived at the Wayne Enterprises’ Biomedical Research building and gave the name Alfred told him to use to the receptionist at the front desk. He was ushered to a private elevator that went to the top floor that served as Dr. Eliza Danvers’ lab and office.

“It’s good to see you again, Bruce. I feared I never would again.” Eliza told him warmly.

Bruce noted that Eliza didn’t appear to have aged much. Her hair was still long and blonde, her eyes nearly the same shade of blue as Kara’s and she appeared to be in great shape. If Bruce hadn’t known better, he would have thought she was Kara’s biological mother.

He grinned and reached out to hug the woman. “Thank you for not giving me the cold shoulder or slapping me.”

Eliza laughed lightly. “Alfred has been giving you the cold shoulder and Diana slapped you, right? That’s family business. To me, you are always going to be the little dark-haired boy who loved his sisters and wanted to be a doctor like his father, running around the manor with his stethoscope. If you get to see Kara today, I’m sure she will welcome you with all the love she is capable of and that is a lot as you know.”

Bruce was touched at the woman’s greeting. “I understand you are the one I should be thanking that I even have the chance to see her again.”

Eliza shrugged it off. “I love that girl. She and Alex, my two little hellions… always getting into trouble. I won’t let her die. I admit it was close, but I had faith in her strength. Even at a week old, that girl was a fighter.”

“And she has been doing better? The treatments have kept her relatively healthy and mobile?” Bruce asked.

Eliza paused and motioned for Bruce to have a seat in a medical chair. The woman didn’t answer his question. Instead, she put on a pair of gloves and inserted a butterfly needle into his vein, drawing blood into the attached vacuum tube, quickly followed by two more. She then plucked a strand of his hair and placed it under what looked like a large microscope.

The doctor put the three vacuum tubes inside a small machine and hit a button that Bruce supposed started it. Finally, Eliza then took a cheek swab and prepped a glass slide for examination by a different machine.

“This won’t take long. The test equipment I have are all prototypes I made, not available to the public yet. The large microscope is a DNA processor. I’ve set it to look for viruses only, making the results quicker. The swab is for comparable DNA and redundancy.” She explained. “Have a seat at my desk. Should everything come out okay, you will be clear to hug your little sister all you want.”

“And if I’m not?” He asked, a little concerned.

“Then I will treat you for whatever foreign virus that may have caught a ride. It could be as simple as a sterilization shower.”

Bruce’s eyes went wide, and he shook his head. “That sounds… painful… and wrong.”

Eliza chuckled at his expression and he relaxed… but only slightly.

Wanting verification of some things Alfred had told him, he ask Eliza, hoping to get her to open up about his little sister’s health. “Alfred mentioned Kara has been really pushing her exercise routine. I’m surprised Diana allows it. I guess her immune system has become even stronger than before. You must be making incredible leaps in treating her. She has been going out in public, to the offices… she graduated college so she must have been in classrooms…”

Eliza cut him off. “The only two people Kara has given me permission to speak to about her health are Diana and Alfred. I’m sorry Bruce, but I can’t discuss any of those topics with you, unless she gives permission.”

Bruce suspected as much when Eliza hesitated before. Had Kara not okayed it because he had just gotten back into town? Or was Diana sending a clear message that some things were not his business anymore?

“When you say ‘she’, are you talking about Diana or Kara?”

Eliza’s expression was solemn. “Both.”

“I don’t suppose having my name on the side of the building gives me any leeway, does it.” Bruce asked resigned.

Eliza shook her head. “You are one of the richest men in the world, Bruce. But the last I checked, Kara owns a third of the company and Diana owns the rest. They are my bosses, not you. Besides, even if you were, I would never violate patient confidentiality.

“When Diana told me you would be coming, she specifically told me that no information on Kara’s health status was to be given to you.”

So Diana had told her to keep him out of the loop.

He wasn’t surprised. He knew after his visit with Diana the night before that he would not ride into the manor with a parade following him. Listening to Rachel talk about the things Diana had done told him how much his sister had changed.

But had she really? Diana had always been strong, confident and backed down for no one. There was no way she would have allowed the DA who released their parents’ killer to go unpunished. He had never suspected her to go as far as destroying Rachel Dawes, a childhood friend of both of them but it made sense in a Diana kind of way.

Diana had taken Rachel under her protection in school, ensured she had a better education than she would have received as a maid’s daughter and likely paid for her college and law school… and in Diana’s mind, Rachel betrayed her.

Diana would never let that go unpunished either. Loyalty meant everything to Diana.

He shivered to think what she would do if anything were to happen to Kara. Diana had told him many times after their parents’ death, that Kara was the light she clung to, her heart and hope that kept her from falling into the dark.

Bruce had seen Kara in the same way.

But he had walked away from his family… from Kara… and the light was gone from his life. He lived in darkness for years and it had made an indelible mark on his soul.

Had some of Kara’s light been dimmed by his and Diana’s darkness? Did Kara know Diana may have killed Joe Chill? Could he really believe it?

Rachel Dawes was obviously bitter and hated Diana but to subtly accuse of her murder was strange.

The three sandbox friends had always been Kara, Barbara ‘Babs’ Gordon and Alex Danvers. Of those three, only two had the ability to hack the U.S. Witsec software and find the information on Chill. It was either sent to the mob or Diana used it herself. He couldn’t see Babs or Kara giving information over to Diana, knowing that she planned to kill a person with it, or at least do something that would lead to his death.

He also could not imagine Kara turning Diana down. Babs had also looked up to Diana growing up, so it was doubtful she would turn the older woman down either.

“Bruce do you have any injuries you need me to look at?” Eliza asked, breaking his train of thought.

“Injuries?” he asked, not wanting her to insist. No one needed to see the scars on his torso. “No, no injuries. I sprained my ankle hiking in the Himalayans a few years ago. Other than that, my life has been rather uneventful.”

Before Eliza could respond, a buzzer sounded, and she walked back into the lab section of her office.

Bruce sat patiently for a few minutes until the smiling doctor came back. “Congratulations. You are in excellent health.”

Bruce thanked her, then made his exit. When he reached the sidewalk, the Mercedes S Class armored car was waiting for him. He sat in the front, much to Alfred’s irritation.

“The back windows are tinted, sir.”

“C’mon, Alfred.” Bruce pleaded. “No one is going to recognize me. Just because I happened to run into Rachel doesn’t mean I am known. Apparently, Diana has crushed her soul so I doubt she will be babbling to the media.

“Has her highness decided when I get to come back from the land of the presumed dead?”

At the look of disapproval on Alfred’s face, he held his hands up in a mea culpa. Alfred’s eyes turned back to the road. “She will have a press release sent to outlets tonight before the evening news simply stating you have returned.”

Though the manor was only thirty minutes away from Gotham City proper, it felt like hours since the ride began. Of all he had faced in the last six years, this may have been the worst thing he’d had to endure. He could handle Diana’s anger and Alfred’s disapproval of his decisions.

If Kara turned him away, he would truly be lost and alone. She was still his light. He needed her help for his mission and her love to keep him from turning into the monster he feared he could easily become.

Bruce stood outside the manor and took in its imposing form. It looked like a castle in many ways, a foreboding place.

Inside was different though. Inside were the signs of his family. Kara’s messy room with her X-Files poster on the wall. The kitchen table where they all ate, pointedly ignoring the large dining room. Kara sneaking the Dobermans into the house and into her room to sleep with her because she had a soft spot for dogs.

He opened the door and saw his light… sunny Kara, standing next to Diana near the staircase.

“It’s true. You’re alive.” He heard her whispered words echo from forty feet away.

“Hi, Bunny.” He said, a smile on his face as he took in her radiance.

“You don’t get to call me that… my name is Kara Wayne.” Kara didn’t move, staying by Diana’s side. “Diana said you want to explain where you have been for the past six years, why you left, what you did and why you are back.”

Bruce nodded carefully, shaken by the noticeable hostility in her voice. “I’ll tell you whatever you want…”

“Stop.” Kara cut him off. “I don’t want to know. It must be nice to pick and choose when you enter and leave people’s lives.

“So, no… I don’t want to hear a thing from you. Nothing you can say, no excuse you could make, would ever justify abandoning us.

“I know this was once your home, but you need to find another place to live. You chose to leave and I’m choosing not to let you back in to my life. I want nothing to do with you.”

Kara turned and calmly walked up the stairs, leaving a speechless Bruce and Alfred.

Diana, unmoving, showed no reaction.

Bruce looked at Diana, wanting her to step in for once. “Diana?”

She shrugged her shoulders, her face impassive. “You always told me she needed to grow up and stop relying on my opinions about everything. Well, as you can see, she did. I’m not going to interfere, Bruce, so leave her alone. You owe her that.”

Diana looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, “For the record, I believe she is right… I don’t want to know where you have been or what you have been doing either. As long as it doesn’t affect me, Kara or the company, I just don’t care.”

She saw the shocked look on his face but wasn’t sure if it was because of Kara’s reaction or her own. Though feeling sad at the distance between them and knowing he was the one who caused it, he was still her brother. “Regardless of how things must be now, I do love you, Bruce. Welcome home.”

Diana climbed the stairs leaving Bruce alone with Alfred.

Alfred maintained a calm facade as always, but Bruce could tell he was sad. “So what now, Master Bruce?”

Bruce said nothing for a moment. For the first time he could remember, he felt the burn of unshed tears in his eyes. “I need to find a place to live. Any suggestions?”

Alfred motioned towards the front door and the two walked out to the car, needing to begin their search for a place that Bruce Wayne could start his new life in Gotham.