Daughter of the Bat || (Rewritten Version)

CHAPTER THREE

Six Months Later
Gotham City
Wayne Lake House

A cool breeze washed over Emma. She sat upon the edge of her room balcony which overlooked the peaceful lake behind the house. The sun was only beginning to rise. The sky was a blend of yellow, pink, purple and blue.

The air was cool against her skin. She would have been cold, but Echo was draped over her long legs. Emma smiled down at him and pet his head softly.

She lifted her head back to the lake. Two geese glided over the surface of the water. The leaves were beginning to fall from the branches. The geese were no doubt starting their trek to the south.

She remembered the winters in Gotham when she was young. Gotham was a dangerous city, but it was beautiful when it was covered in snow. Emma fell in love with winter. The cold made her feel awake.

Of course, the chill was not very much help to her at the moment. Emma was awoken by yet another nightmare. Six months and she still couldn't get the feeling of being trapped under all that rubble out of her mind.

It was terrifying. The dark that surrounded her. The dust that coated her eyes and suffocated her.

Emma lowered her eyes to her right forearm. A long, jagged wound stretched from her wrist to her elbow. A souvenir from that day. The wound was healed, but it left a dark scar in its wake.

It wasn't the only one she recieved either. She had another wound on the left side of her lower abdomen. It wasn't as long, but it was deeper than the one on her arm. It nearly killed her.

Had it not been for her father, Emma would have bled to death.

Emma closed her eyes with a sigh. She knew she was much luckier than most, but it was still a painful memory.

Echo whined, sensing his mom was in distress. He sat up and pawed at her arm. Emma gave him a smile and rubbed his neck. Echo leaned in and gave Emma a kiss on her cheek. She huffed out a laugh.

"Thanks boy," she said.

"Emma."

Emma turned her head to the voice. Her father stood at the balcony entrance, concern written all over his face. He was dressed in his sleepwear. Just a simple white t-shirt and pajama pants. It was as if he had this sixth sense of knowing when Emma was in a melancholy mood.

Emma briefly turned the corner of her mouth upward in a bad attempt at a smile. Bruce's brows creased. He walked over and sat down next to her. He draped his arm over the back of Emma's shoulders and pulled her to him.

Emma accepted the hugged, shifting closer to her papa. Bruce placed a kiss in her hair and rubbed her arm.

"Can't sleep again," Bruce said more than questioned.

Emma sighed and sunk closer to her papa's chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Bruce frowned. "What?" He leaned his head back to look down at her better. "Why are you sorry?"

Emma closed her eyes. "I just feel like a burden ever since --"

"Stop." Bruce tucked some hair behind Emma's ear. "Don't you ever say anything like that again. You are not a burden," he said firmly.

Emma shook her head, pulling herself away from Bruce. She stood and walked to the opposite edge of the balcony that overlooked the forest beside the house.

"Why won't they stop," she breathed out. "They just keep coming back again and again."

Bruce watched Emma. It broke him to see her like this. The last time she was in such a state was when Jason...