Innocent (A Treacherous Novel)

1

Gotham City, New Jersey

November 19, 2002

"Why exactly am I wearing Balenciaga to a circus?" Ashley asked as she and her father stepped out of the car, the child unknowing of how the night would go.

"Because you're a Wayne, Ashley. It's time to act like it" Bruce whispered to her as they passed the paparazzi with annoying bright lights on their cameras that practically blinded Ashley as she walked past them and the lights lingering in her vision until they had entered the circus tent.

"Maybe I hate being a Wayne" Ashley said as she folded her arms over her chest and looked around. "If I wasn't a Wayne I could wear whatever I want and have friends" Ashley huffed as they sat down.

"You have friends" Bruce reminded her. "And you're free to wear what you will, so long as you acknowledge that we have a dress code when we step out into the outside world because of our status" Bruce told her.

"Normal people don't have sidekicks as their only friends" Ashley hissed out. "Normal people don't have to worry about dress codes and get to go to grocery stores in pajamas and chicken costumes" Ashley reminded him.

"You were born with an extreme amount of privilege" Bruce said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I understand that you are young and that you hate it, but this is how our world works" He told her.

"I wasn't born with privilege" Ashley muttered as she waited impatiently for the circus to start. "I was born with a gold bird cage" She told her father and put her head in her hands.

"It's only a cage if you see it through a negative lens" Bruce told her. "For us though, it's simply a means to an end."

"What if we have different ends?" Ashley asked him, looking out over the crowd and frowning. "I can't see anything" Ashley complained as a tall man sat in front of her.

"Sit here" Bruce said as he sighed and switched seats with his angsty daughter.

"Thanks" Ashley said, looking around and smiling when she saw the curtain move. "Is it about to start?" Ashley asked her father.

"It starts at seven-thirty" Bruce told her and checked his watch. "Three minutes to go" He told her. Ashley pursed her lips and her leg began to eagerly bounce as anticipation built up.

When the lights dimmed and the spotlights came on, Ashley eagerly watched what would take place. There was a puff of smoke and an older man appeared in the ringmaster uniform. "Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome to Haly's Traveling Circus in beautiful Gotham city!" The man said, and Ashley assumed he was Haly of Haly's circus. "Where the world is your center ring is your oyster and these are your pearls!" Haly said as everyone clapped. "You will never see another show like this again!" Haly hyped the crowd up and Bruce looked down to see his usually calm and collected daughter excited about what was happening in front of her eyes. "Tonight our acts include but are not limited to Atlas the Strongman!" Haly began and everyone clapped. A paranoid feeling began to run down Bruce's back as he looked around and scanned the crowd in front of him, making sure no harm would come to his daughter. "And a special hometown performance for the Flying Graysons, our renown trapeze artists who will give you a once in a lifetime show!" Haly continued his hyping. The tent went dark for a moment and right before the lights could come back on, there was a loud roar and the sound of an elephant.

"Dad there's lions and elephants!" Ashley said excitedly and clutched onto her father's wrist happily. Bruce looked down at the girl and watched the show with rare contentment while keeping an eye on their surroundings. When it was time for the trapeze, Ashley was fully engrossed in the show and no longer fussing and complaining about what she deemed was unfair for their lifestyle. As Ashley watch the performance, her smile only got bigger and the hand clutching her father's arm only got tighter. As the performance reached its height, both Bruce and Ashley saw both of the adults beginning to slip as if there was a malfunction or a slip-up. When Bruce saw the fall about to happen, he did what he could do in the moment. He pulled Ashley into his chest and made sure she didn't see a thing. Bruce just wished he could take away the screams so she wouldn't have to hear them.

After being escorted out, Bruce kept Ashley close. His hunch told him that what had just transpired wasn't an accident, and he had already come close to losing his daughter once. So instead of investigating, he stayed. "Dad, what's happening?" Ashley asked him, her blue eyes breaking his soul as he looked down. 

"Wait for Alfred and Dinah" He told her. She nodded and Bruce wiped the tears from her eyes as they fell as the chaos around them ensued. 

"Mister Wayne!" He heard a reporter yell and promptly shot him the dirtiest look he could muster as he shielded Ashley.  He got too close too close for comfort so Bruce pushed him back. "Mister Wayne, would you say it's bad luck or that your family is being targeted since your daughter has encountered two tragedies in four years, the first involving the murder of your wife?" The reporter asked. 

"Dad" Ashley's broken cry rang out from the crowd. Bruce had turned back to see more reporters had congregated behind him. She outstretched her hand toward him as the reporters tried to pull her toward them. 

"Ashley" Bruce growled out and grabbed her hand and picked her up. "You should be ashamed of yourself" Bruce practically growled at the man. "Blaming tragic events on a child, as if they are in her control" Bruce shamed the man. "And since every single one of you is here and are on the security feed, I will have charges pressed for the continued harassment of my daughter" Bruce promised, the only thing holding him back was the eleven-year-old girl in his arms. "I hope you have the money for a damn good lawyer because you picked the wrong father to fuck with" Bruce promised as Alfred drove around in their Bently Continental, Dinah's worried face prominent in the front seat. "When I set you down, get in" Bruce told her as he stepped closer to where the car would be stopping. Bruce set her down as the car came to a stop so they could enter. Bruce opened the door and sat Ashley down and practically fell into the car to get away from the crowd behind him. Bruce stepped into the car angrily and said "Commissioner Gordon wants to speak with us about what we saw tonight, I promised to meet him at the Columbia Precinct" Bruce told Alfred. 

"Very well, sir" Alfred acknowledged as he drove away. 

"Dad?" Ashley asked quietly as she looked at the window with silent tears streaking her cheeks. 

"Yes Ashley?" Bruce asked her, almost hesitantly. 

"Is it true?" Ashley asked her father. 

"Is what true?" Bruce asked her, hoping she was meaning what he thought she was. 

"Am I the reason all the bad things happen?" Ashley asked, missing the pain the broke onto Dinah's face at the question. 

"Ashley" Dinah said softly and sadly. 

"Ashley" Bruce said sternly. "Look at me" He told her. Ashley did so and Bruce felt what was left of his heart shatter as he looked onto the face of his broken-hearted daughter. "Nothing that happens is your fault. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time and something bad happened" Bruce told her. "Just because it happened, doesn't place the blame on you" Bruce reiterated. 

"But I killed mom" Ashley whispered as she thought back on the night and even more tears fell. 

"You did not kill your mother" Bruce told her. "Somebody did, but it wasn't you or because of you" Bruce told her. Ashley looked down sadly and faced the window again, becoming silent. Dinah's face showed just how sad she felt for her niece and in that exact moment and that was the moment he swore nothing would hurt her ever again. The shift in the car was palpable and Bruce sat back and picked up the portable batcomputer that he had disguised as a suitcase and got to work. He had too much to do now, and seemingly not enough time. 

A/N I'm out here messing Ash up left and right lol. Next chapter (I think) Dick will be coming to the mansion and some of my favorite harbringers of chaos will be there as well. So excited. Anyways, hope everyone is ready for the pain train but also ready for some fun 🤩🤩 chapters will get longer soon I'm just having a slow start, unfortunately.

QOTW: Thoughts and theories on what will happen since we finished 1?