Innocent (A Treacherous Novel)

4

Gotham City, New Jersey

December 14, 2002

"Huh, Dick gots balls" Ashley said as she looked at the security feed as her father trained in the background of the Batcave.

"What?" Bruce asked in disbelief and walked forward to see what his daughter was speaking of.

"He stole the Porsche, Dad" Ashley said and facepalmed after remembering that she wasn't supposed to speak to her father crudely.

"I heard" Bruce told his daughter as he looked at the feed. "I'll deal with it" Bruce said and called for Alfred.

"Cool beans, I guess?" Ashley asked sarcastically as her father walked off. She sighed and looked around the cave, wishing her aunt was back home with her instead of with Ollie and Roy in Star City. "I'm bored" Ashley complained out loud even though there was no soul around to hear her speak. She got up and began wandering around the cave, not really caring if her father returned to see what she was doing. She began humming the 'Hero' song from Spider-Man that Wally was insisting they had to watch again when he comes back to Gotham over their Christmas break. Ashley opened the Joker vault and pursed her lips as she looked at the items inside. "Huh, I thought it'd be cooler" Ashley muttered as her eyes flitted around as they looked at the vault.

"Ashley" She heard the ever-annoying voice of her father as he descended the stairway as she moved onto the Riddler vault. "What are you doing?" Her father asked as he came into view and saw the child looking at everything.

"I'm not touching" Ashley said defensively. "But if I have to deal with all this when you die, I outta know what's in it" Ashley shrugged and began to move onto the Bane vault.

"I thought I was the morbid one" Bruce said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's go" Bruce told the girl. "You are staying upstairs with Alfred and I am going to get Dick from the precinct and I'll deal with you and this when I get home."

"I'm putting you in a nursing home."

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"Careful now, Miss Wayne" Alfred said as he instructed. "Sonata Number Five has more polyrhythms than you are used to-" Alfred began to critique before the door to Ashley's library flew open.

"Ashley" Bruce demanded as he stood on the other side of the room, Dick looking like a scared sheep behind him.

"What?" Ashley asked as her hands flew up in outrage. "I'm learning Scriabin!"

"Ashley" Bruce said once again. "It's time to train" Bruce told his daughter who shook her head.

"I am training" Ashley said as her nose briefly stuck itself in the air as she continued her comeback. "My fingers to play Scriabin's Sonata Five so shoo" Ashley said and shooed her father away as she began working her placements as speed matching once again. 

"Ashley last chance to get up and get to the cave" Bruce told her as anger gleamed in his eyes.

"I'm good" Ashley said, not realizing for a moment what he had said until she abruptly stopped and turned around. "He knows?" Ashley asked and raised an eyebrow as if she were unimpressed. Bruce nodded his confirmation and Ashley sighed. "The recital is tomorrow. I can't play Chopin again" She told the older brunette man.

"If I cared, I would've left by now" Bruce told her.

"You can come and make me do it but you can expect a whole damn exposé slash tell all about how abusive you are and that you are he who shall not be named" Ashley said, squinting her eyes. Bruce raised an eyebrow as if he was daring the girl to challenge. "And I'll call Aunt Dinah, and when I call Dinah you'll have to answer to Clark and Diana" Ashley added as icing to the cake.

"You're trying my patience, Ashley" Bruce said.

"Alfred, would you be terribly kind and pass me the home phone?" Ashley asked and the older man went to do as requested as Bruce's face turned red.

"Ashley Renee" Bruce ordered and walked toward her as Alfred handed her the phone. Ashley quickly dialed the home number for Dinah and started running around with her father chasing her.

"Aunt Dinah!" Ashley yelled into the phone. "He's lost his marbles!" She yelled. "He's in full bat mode and he's gonna kill me" she yelled as she ran up the stairs.

"What is going on?" Dinah questioned worriedly.

"Get here before he kills me!" Ashley yelled as she got to the top step. She bolted left and sprinted before turning right to circle around the floor. When the banister came in sight, Ashley jumped onto it and slid down where Dick was looking at her in shock and Alfred shook his head.

"Go left, I'll tell him you went right " Alfred said. Ashley nodded and ran until the door to the courtyard was in sight and bolted out and scaled the fence before jumping it and running out into the wide-open pasture.

"I just wanted to practice piano" Ashley muttered as she took a deep breath and attempted to control her breathing. "I hope Dinah kills him" Ashley thought as she resumed running. She hoped Dinah found her first because she was certain her father was going to be less than impressed if he found her.

♠️♠️♠️

Ashley ran to her mother's grave, though she mused it was dramatic but she never came here, so her father wouldn't look for her here. She looked at the mausoleum and took in a deep breath and pushed the door open and closed it and was engulfed in the darkness. "Hey mom" Ashley said and patted the coffin where her mother's decomposed corpse lay. "Long time no see" she said and sat down and laid her head against the cement. "I wish you could speak, mainly so you could tell off dad for being the way he is but I guess we don't always get what we want" Ashley said and shrugged. "Maybe Clark and Diana are already there and kicking Dad's ass" Ashley said and laughed softly at the thought. "God, I hate it now. It was so much easier when you were around" She said and the darkness began to lull the girl to sleep. "It really was" She said and fell asleep, her soft snores were the only sound made even if her dreams were haunted by her mother and the screams of 'Persephone.'

A/N There it is again. Persephone. I'd love to see y'all's guesses for what it means lmao bc this is peak me figuring it out as I go but at least I know what Persephone means. Also I'm fifty shades of pressed because Amazon delayed my Amazon exclusive white vinyl and my Target halsey4 came in and it's battered and ugly instead of cute like my others.

QOTW: What possible events are you most excited to potentially see?