Discovering Batman

Fires & Nightmares

Authors Note: As I read back on the last chapter, I realized that I was rushing it a bit. I blame this on never writing action or angsty scenes, in all honesty. I'm typically a fluffy one-shot writer and I rush myself far too much. Y'all will have to forgive me as I am still learning every time I write something new, I'm going to try to focus a bit more on the action side of this story while still maintaining enough happiness and fluff to keep it from being 100% stressful, haha! In other news, my laptop is officially dead (insert sad face here) and I'm very bummed out about it. I plan on buying a new one as soon as my empty wallet allows, which stinks because I literally just bought my laptop less than a year ago. Ugh! Anyways, enough of ranting - on with the story we go!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters that you remember from the Batman saga. I only own Sarah, Alfonso and a few random little characters that hang around! :)

"Bruce, I'm going back to work and that's final. I'm tired of just hanging around the manor all day long." I whined, already tired of Bruce's attempts to make me stay home and it was only 7AM. Despite having a slight headache for a week straight from hitting it on the floor during the whole Alfonso ordeal, I was coping well enough, although Bruce seemed convinced that I was just keeping my emotions cooped in and that I was a ticking time bomb. "Alfonso knows where you work, Sarah." He insisted. "If he got to you again, I won't be with you to help you. Robin probably won't be able to swoop in just in time like a week ago. What happens if he decides to act out again?"

"I do just what I did with the Joker - I deal with it." I knew he could see through my facade, but I wouldn't let the subject drop until I was on my way to work. The children needed me far more than I needed to be at home. After reading Bruce's findings on the Italian man, I wouldn't put it past him to hurt one of the kids, if not all, just to get on Batman's bad side. I couldn't help the children if I wasn't there...but if I was, I could bargain with him.

I wasn't about to let innocent children go through what I had went through.

Bruce took a seat on the corner of the bed as I finished pinning up my curled hair, and I noticed just how exhausted he appeared to be. I was used to seeing him worn out and tired, but this was the first time I was actually concerned for his health and physical state. He seemed to age by years in a matter of a week. This was really upsetting him, it seemed. "Bruce." I sat next to him and sighed when I saw the time. I had to leave in 10 minutes if I was going to be remotely on time for work.

His head shot up, bloodshot eyes staring back at me. His warm brown eyes seemed to be dull, but it still held a certain amount of fire in them. He'd be okay, as long as he won this. Something told me that he wouldn't be back to himself as long as he thought I was in danger. For a brief second, I re-thought my decision of going back to work so soon. He'd go off to work as well, pretending to be fine, but I knew him well enough and I knew that he would be a nervous wreck the whole day, probably snapping at people and fighting back the urge to call me every two seconds to check up.

"I've got to go." I placed a brief kiss without thinking on his cheek, regretting the decision for a moment but all insecure thoughts going away when I saw a smile, a genuine smile, creep on his face after. "Don't die." He replied easily, a war going on behind his carefully built walls.

"I'll try."

Work, as always, was a busy affair. The kids, especially Tommy, who had apparently been teased the whole week and a half that I had been gone. The other ladies, as wonderful workers as they were, did tend to take everyone's side...other than Tommy. In their eyes, he was a trouble maker and had no good qualities, but I could see a heart of gold in his little scarred body. Just like Bruce, I thought wryly.

"Tommy, have you been practicing your song for this week?" I asked my shadow excitedly. Uunsurprisingly, the little boy had chosen the guitar to be his instrument. According to him, his mother had played during a brief stint of sobriety. I want to be just like her, he had said. He remembered so many good things about their time together and I believe that he forced out the bad things. He had put himself under the impression that his mother was a true hero, and we all hesitated to break it to him and tell him the truth. To be only 6 years old, he was a real trooper.

"Yes, Ms. Dawson! I already know the first half!" He exclaimed. Truthfully, the little boy was a real prodigy. We had started him off very lightly with learning simple chords, but he had taken off and developed a real talent in the midst of many broken guitar strings and children's songs. "Well, that's-" "Sarah, you've got a visitor!" Emily, my co-worker, interrupted. "I'll be right back, Tommy!"

My heels had already been discarded under my small desk the minute I had stepped into work, so I carefully avoided legos and train-tracks on the blue carpeted floor as I jogged to the door, heart-racing at the possibilities. Alfsonso wouldn't just knock on the door and ask to see me, I hoped. He's a criminal, surely he'd have more tact...right?

"Woah, there." Arms steadied me the second I managed to trip myself on plastic yellow car and I let out a sigh of relief. Definitely not Alfonso, the deep voice betraying him. "Bruce Wayne, what are you doing here?" I whispered angrily. "I told you I could take care of myself! Why do you have to do this?" I kept my voice down despite Emily's retrieval the moment she saw me step into the door. She knew we needed time alone, apparently, and I was thankful.

"I was-"

"Don't you dare say that you were in the neighborhood -  Wayne Enterprises is over 35 minutes away, unless you were doing you know what and it's a bit early in the day for that, isn't it?" I spat out.

"Sarah, don't make such a big deal about this, I just wanted to come visit you at work." His tone changed suddenly and I knew that someone had walked in - Tommy had come looking for me and stopped in his tracks the moment he saw a stranger, especially such a big one. Bruce leaned in closer as if he were kissing my temple and his voice turned to a whisper. "I just got a call from Robin. Alfonso is heading this way and he's coming quickly. We have to go, now."

"Give me five minutes." I nodded, surprised once again at how quickly he regained his calm composure. As I was rushing out and trying not to scare the little boy hiding in the corner, I overheard Bruce talking to him and asking him about his guitar, which was strapped around his thin shoulders.

"Emily," I started. "There's been a family emergency, I'm so sorry. I've got to go early today." I knew she'd understand, but I still felt horrible as I left her with the day's work. I felt even worse, though, lying to her. She'd be safer, left in the dark.

"Oh, Sarah! Of course, I'll be praying for everyone involved." We said our goodbyes and I sprinted back out to Bruce, grabbing my shoes and purse from my desk as I went along. "Tommy, I've got to go, okay? I'll see you tomorrow!" With a kiss blown towards the boy, I gripped Bruce's hand and let him lead me off to his car, footsteps rushed.

Our drive was eerily quiet, until the news playing on the radio caught up with us and Bruce turned it off as quickly as he could. New Italian Gang forms in Gothom City - The supposed leader on the hunt for someone...but whom?

For the first time, I felt my weariness catch up to me. I was the person that he was hunting after. The word seemed so fitting...hunting. He was after blood, of course. Nothing else would settle him, it seemed.

"Sarah, it'll be fine." He reached over to hold my hand as we hit a road-block, policemen signalling us to turn around and go another way. He rolled down the window of the Audi, giving me an annoyed glance, hiding his concern, I suspected.

"Sir, you'll have to turn around." The officer explained. "I live at Wayne Manor. This is the only way home."

"Mr. Wayne...you don't know? The officer drawled. "Wayne Manor has been set on fire - again."