ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ. ɪɪ

0.2

I shut the door behind Alfred and me, brooding over the long hallway in complete darkness. My eyes dart around, hunting for anything different; yet everything is the same. No lights are on, the shadows hide each corner of the corridor. Neither do I see any lights coming from the main room.

I throw my coat beside a small wooden desk along with Alfred's. One of my arms gently wraps around the chest area of the shirt, feeling the touch of the bandage. Alfred takes the first lead, limping his way through the hallway with his stock as a helping tool. My body takes the strength of sliding through the wooden floor, pressing my palm against the cold wall for temporary support. A small groan parts my lips but I continue.

Alfred reaches the open door frame, slowly tilting his head back at me. "I suppose it's too late by now." he shrugs with his expression falling as he stares in front of him, limping into the main entrance. My eyes squint in suspicious.

Once I reach up to the doorway my hands quickly grasp the edge, holding back the pain that has yet to heal. I let out another groan as my shoulders roll subconsciously, trying to work out the aching stiffness. My head tilts back up, bobbing forward to scan the area. The fireplace upon wintry nights glows with radiant gold flame, shining through the surface of the couch.

I notice a dark silhouette sitting in the living room on the couch, humming a soft melody. Alfred inches closer to the room towards the person, but my body quickly drags forward against the doorway. "Stop." My voice darkens, inhaling the cold air. Alfred stops behind the couch trailing his eyes to mine with a worrying expression. The humming comes to a stop as the person tilts its head to the sound of my voice; it's Daisy.

Daisy's lovely face enhances her knowledgeable beauty. Her hair long brown hair is in a high ponytail with soft and subtle makeup on. My lips slowly stretch to a smile sucking in a breath of the warm air and letting it out slowly.

Her eyes lit up in surprise as her eyebrows shot up, slowly raising herself from the couch. My eyes quickly trail to her hands carrying a toddler in her arms.

My hands fall with a sudden motion, slowly leaning my bicep against the doorframe. Shock passes through my face and trails down my spine, lifting every inch of my body hair to flicker into goosebumps. My mouth slowly drops, pupils narrows in confusion; all at once.

"Bruce.." Daisy pauses with a worrying tone and holds the child tightly around her arms at the front of her body, swaying back and forth slowly to let it sleep.

Alfred quickly limps forward to the couch, resting his stock against the side of the armchair. "I'll take him." He says softly to Daisy as she nods in response, gently placing the baby into his hands. The child makes small sounds of soft groaning until Alfred gradually holds it with his arms, wobbling softly against his front chest. The child places its head against his shoulder, which causes Alfred to smile a little.

Daisy quickly glances at me, slowly motioning towards the doorframe. "We have to talk." Her voice sounds more concerning.

My eyes are stuck on Alfred carrying the child, not removing my gaze from it as my eyebrows narrow. "Daisy. What's going on?" A deep voice approaches my tone. She places her soft hand against my arm.

"Let's get you some rest." She inches closer and gently grabs my arm. My eyes immediately dart to hers, shaking my head lightly. I grab onto the frames once again, sliding my feet backward; however, the pain presses against my chest and releases an awful stretch around my body. I groan once again, wrapping my arm around the wound.

Daisy softly steps forward and grasps my arm. "You have to listen to me," her soft angelic voice fills up my attention, but my thoughts are occupied with trillions of scenarios. "You need to rest."

"Is it mine?" My lips slip out a thought I didn't want to release, but it matters.

Daisy shrugs and nods. "Yes, it's yours. You haven't been here for a long time, so I understand why you are confu-"

"How old is he?" I quickly interrupt her, glancing back at the toddler. 

"Bruce.." She trails off and tries to lead me towards the stares but my muscles are completely stuck. My eyes trail down to hers, feeling the whoosh of fresh air coming from her nostrils as it brushes against my chin.

Daisy shrugs once again, releasing my arm softly. "He's two and a half."

I take a deep breath before exhaling it through my nostrils, slowly nodding to her comment. "I thought something happened to you. I didn't know you were pregnant," My eyes bore into her chocolate-brown ones. "If I ever put you in a position to be pregnant with no choice, I'm sorry. I didn't expect you-"

"What?" Daisy quickly cuts in with her eyebrows narrowing. "I wanted this. I knew I was pregnant but I kept it." I hold my breath for a second, nodding slowly.

My eyes trail back to the toddler, taking one step forward but I instantly let out another groan. Daisy quickly grabs a hold of my arms, inching towards the stairs with me. She wraps one of my arms around her shoulder and leads me the way. "You need to rest."

I quickly peek back to the doorframe hoping to see him once more but the vision slowly disappears in the dark and towards the stairs. My eyes trail down to her small figure as we take a small step onto each tread; however, the groaning continues. I quickly place my other hand onto the wall, helping her along the way.

"Funny," I groan with a small chuckle slipping out of my mouth. She quickly tilts her head upwards, staring into my eyes. "The way you holding me right now. Just like the first time we met." A smile forms her lips, continuing to lead the treads.

We finally reach up to the second floor, slowly walking into the bedroom. Once we step inside I notice the familiar scent of her smell. Everything is the same, nothing has changed in my room but my thoughts quickly trail off to the toddler.

"Where does he sleep?" I ask as she helps me sit on the bed, moaning roughly from the torture spreading through my chest. She takes a deep breath and folds the blanket backward as I lay down slowly, leaning my back against the bed frame.

Daisy curls the blanket up to the side of my waist. "Usually in here with me, or in his room."

"His room?" I say instantly, arching an eyebrow. She slowly nods and sits on the edge beside me.

"Yes, his room," Daisy slowly smiles. "You will meet him when the time is right. You need to rest up. Alfred has a lot to tell you." She frowns a bit causing her smile to slowly disappear.

I rest both of my elbows on each side of me and push my back to lean firmly onto the frame. My eyes narrow in confusion. "What's going on?"

Daisy tilts her head downwards and shuts her eyelids. "You going to have your hand full. There's another villain, but he goes by the name Joker."