"And sometimes the only closure we can get, is after a little bit of time."
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Alex rose to her feet off the church pew, her legs unwillingly brought her up an empty walkway. As she looked around her, nobody was present. She was completely and utterly alone. The stained glass windows were familiar, colors blending together, blurring into messy art before her very eyes. The space she was in shone multicoloured beauty it made her almost forget where she was in the first place.
Before she knows it, she's at the very front of the church. A distant voice calls out to her, it's muffled; so she can't understand what was being said. Alex stops in her place, like she was being blocked by something, or someone. Her eyes shoot down, and she's horrified. The bodies of her mother and father lay still together, in one big casket. Their hands were intertwined.
Paralyzed, Alex looks around and she's still alone. When her eyes look back down to her dead parents, their faces are ripped open. Blood was quickly filling the casket like a boat capsizing. She tries to scream, but nothing comes out. Unable to scream, run, do literally anything. Paralyzed by fear.
"You were too late." The voice echos, sounding clearer. Not on her own accord, she's spun around. "You couldn't save them Alexandra."
The sinister grin was sickly. Fear dropped down her spine as she's face to face with Arthur Fleck. All light was pulled from the enclosed church space, stained glass a bloody red, barely any light shining through. True horror surrounded Alex, plaguing her. "You couldn't get me in time, and now you're just an orphan." He spits out the last word.
Suddenly, he rushes her, and that's when her eyes fly open.
Bruce had woken up to screaming, able to hear Alex from her closed bedroom from his own a few doors down. He automatically assumed the worst; someone had broken in and was going to grab her. He threw off his sheets and sprinted as fast as he could to her room. When Bruce kicked the door open, she was alone, thankfully, but was screeching in her sleep. She was having a night terror. Not that it was pleasant, but he was relieved she was safe.
He rushed to her bedside and gently shook her shoulders. "Alex, wake up." He screamed in her face, causing her to wake up fast. Her eyes flew open and her screams subsided. Out of fear, Alex pulled herself from his grasp and threw herself against the headboard, trying to get away from him fast. She was obviously unaware it was him grabbing her in the moment. "Alex, relax it's just me." Bruce says quietly.
Her labored breathing was concerning, but as her scared eyes searched around, they found relief that it was just him with her in the room. "Bruce." Tears immediately fell from her eyes.
Bruce quickly grabs her and pulls her shaking body against his own. "You're safe, you're home." He whispers gently into her ear. The Wayne Manor had become her home, but the words threw both of them off slightly. They chose to ignore it. She throws her arms around him, hugging him back. Alex shuts her eyes, trying to control her breathing. That nightmare scared her terribly. She hasn't had one of those ever. All of it felt so damn real.
They held each other for some time, until she got her breathing under control. She hadn't even been asleep for that long before the nightmare, which woke her up. She was exhausted, but her fear of going back to sleep and that nightmare resuming worried her.
The two of them pull away. Her cheeks and eyes were deep red. Some stray tears still slipped down her cheeks. "Go back to bed, you need to work in the morning."
Alex shakes her head quickly. "I-I can't."
"Can't work?" He wonders, confused.
"Can't go back to sleep." She whispers back, letting out a shaky sigh.
"Come sleep with me." Bruce immediately stands, grabbing a hold on her hands and pulling her to her feet. Not bothering to wait for her reply, he pulls her towards his bedroom. They enter his bedroom, which Alex is honestly in often, if she's using his nice shower, or they're just sitting and chatting together on the edge of his bed. It was bigger than the room she was staying in, obviously, but it had the same look.
Bruce lays her down and tucks her under his sheet, rounding the bed and getting into the side he usually sleeps in. She felt robotic, letting him control her movement, but she couldn't be more grateful. She hated when this numb feeling fell upon her, it made her feel utterly useless. She was out of control in some way or another.
"You're safe with me." Bruce whispers. He inches closer, and holds her, knowing what she likes. She likes touch, comfort, and to be held. Hell, he liked it too, but he knew she craved it when she was feeling off at all. It brought her leave, made her feel better, even if it was temporary.
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She nestled against him, snaking her arm around him so she held him back, like a hug. She felt his hand brushing through her hair like a comb, every so often pressing soft kisses to her forehead.
It took some time, but she was able to fall back into a dreamless slumber.
...
The air was fridged, nipping at Alex's nose. She was bundled up in everything: winter jacket, boots, hat and mittens. She entered Gotham's cemetery, feeling a bit anxious, but also pride.
She had skipped out on her fathers funeral, not wanting to be in the public eye so soon. But she had known in his will he requested to be buried next to her mother, Samantha Flores. They always kept the space open for whenever he had passed. The time came way too early, but that is life, unfortunately.
The grass crunched beneath her, frozen dew covering the blades. She hurriedly made her way over to where her parents were buried, wondering if getting this type of closure would keep her from getting anymore of those horrible nightmares that plagued her sleep.
Tombstones matched, as they would have wanted. Anthony and Samantha Flores; gone too soon. She sighs and longingly stares at the stone. Her mind reels over the last couple of months, hell the past couple of years of her life. Too much of her time spent working, not enough time with them, towards the sudden end to their lives.
Alex's thoughts drifted off, wondering if Bruce felt the same, regarding his parents' untimely deaths. He was a young boy though, he wasn't old enough to have these coherent thoughts. But as he grew older, she's sure he felt lost and confused surrounding the thought of his family. How he never got to truly know them, when he could remember more, as a teenager and adult.
She crouches down, placing a bouquet of flowers between the tombstones, too scared to speak aloud, but thinking simple thoughts of endearment. Sort of like a eulogy of a funeral. Going over her favourite memories of growing up, attending events, celebrating birthdays, etc.
In the distance, Batman is perched, making sure she made it safely to the cemetery. After Alex insisted on coming on her own, he was obviously worried about her going out so late at night but he knew she had to go alone. At least from a distance he wasn't being intrusive. Watching her get some closure, made something close in his heart and his mind
