The Bat's Daughter

Daughter of Batman (Backstory)

Talia takes me to a yacht, and has me change clothes. I find it hard to believe she not taking me to the League of Assassins. "You're not taking me back?", I ask. "No child," my mother says, "your grandfather believes you dead, I'll let you stay that way." "Then where are you taking me?", I ask worried what the future will hold. "You'll be your father's responsibility now," she tells me. "My father?"

Talia proceeds to explain about my father and where I'll be living from now on, assuming he'll take me. I take in all that she tells me and hold my curious tongue. No need to do something that'll make her change her mind, I'm well aware she could still kill me.

After a few hours of sailing we make port, "stay in your room until I get you", my mother instructs, I obey. I wait for what seems like an eternity until Talia opens the door and lets me out. I step out into a living area where a tall man in a bat suit stands. He just stares at me, his expression hard to read with the cowl over his face. I'm nervous that he'll reject me, my future all depends on this man. I can't hide my emotions any longer and A'dab taught me its okay to show emotion so I do. I look up at him with a worried and hopeful expression on my face and his face softens.

I get nervous as he kneels down in front of me. "Hello," the dark knight says to me, "what's your name?" "Mara," I reply. "It's nice to meet you Mara," he replies in his deep voice, "do you know who I am?" I nod, not finding the words to speak. He stands up, "anything else, Talia?" "No beloved," she replies. "Very well, Mara let's go," my father tells me. I turn to leave, "goodbye aibnatu," my mother calls after me. "Don't ever call me that again. I'm not your daughter, and you're not my mother," I tell her turning back to face her, "you murdered my mother."

Talia makes no response as I stare her down, but I watch her face harden. I turn away from her. My father also makes no remark on my words as we leave the yacht and go up on the dock. The yacht quickly pulls away from the dock, we stand there watching it unsure what to do. "Come on," my father says after a while, and I follow him to the batmobile.

"Wow," I breath a little while later as I look around the bat cave, there is all sorts of tech and equipment, not to mention the large dinosaur. "Impressive, huh?", I look to see my father without his cowl. I meet his bright blue eyes. I nod, shyly, he smiles warmly at me. "You can speak, you know that right?", he says coming to me, "I'm not like the League of Assassins, with the children-must-be-seen-and-not-heard policy."

"You built this all by yourself?", I ask him, wandering around, looking at all the stuff in the cave. "Not literally," he replies, "but yes, I did." "What's that?", I ask pointing at a piece of machinery. "And that," I say pointing at another piece of tech, " and what does it do?" "Also, why the name Batman? You could chose almost anything to go by as a superhero. Why did you become Batman and how do you do it all?", my curiosity gets the better of me and questions come spilling out.

My father smiles at my curiosity and answers my questions, I go to asks more but he stops me. "I've answered a lot of your questions," he says, "let me ask one of mine." I nod, biting my tough to keep from talking. "You said earlier that Talia killed your mother," he says, "what did you mean by that?" "It's a long story," I reply and explain about my childhood as an assassin, faking my death, living with A'dab, and the appearance of my birth mother and the murder of my adoptive one. "She was the only one, the only one who loved me," I say working hard not to cry, "but the one who was supposed to love me killed her." I look down at the ground as my eyes start to water, not wanting to show him my tears, they were not acceptable with the League.

"I'm sorry, Mara," my father's deep voice says soothingly. I look up to see him still in his Batman suit, kneeling down in front of me. He places a hand on my shoulder, "I promise you, you won't have to feel that pain again." The tears welling in my eyes start to trail down cheeks. My father pulls me to his chest and wraps his arms around me, I hug him back.

My father proceeds to show me around the cave and house. I get introduced to his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who remarked on what a "little lady" I was being all polite and kind. This made me happy, I just might be the lady A'dab wanted me to be. I was also introduced to Father's adoptive sons, Dick Grayson, who called me lady because he said I acted just like one, Jason Todd, who called me Demon Princess because he hates my grandfather and thinks I act all polite like royalty, and Tim Drake who also called me lady following his biggest brother's example.

I grew accustomed to my new life. I had a family who loved me despite the teasing and name calling, I was going to start school. I also found I had a talent for singing, I fell in love with music and started singing songs I heard on the radio. I would always be listening to music or singing. It never annoyed my family, I was even called a nightingale.

Father and the boys trained me to be a crime fighter in Gotham and Father said as soon as he could get me the suit I could join him on the streets. I looked forward to the opportunity to right the wrongs I'd done and do some good in the world, help people instead of hurting them.

"Father," I tell him one day, as the whole family chills in the living room without attacking each other, "if I wish to have a life here I need a new name. If the League of Assassins knew I was alive, I'd be killed and you, Alfred and the boys would be in danger." "What would you like that name to be?" Father asks. "I don't know," I reply. That starts of a whole list of suggestions from the boys, none of them that actually fit. "How about Sara?" Father asks finally, "it means lady or princess in Hebrew." "Perfect!" Tim exclaims. "It fits," Jason says, "you are the Demon Princess." I send a scowl at him. "I like it," Dick says, "the prefect name for our lady." "It's only one letter off from your name now," Father explains.

I get to a clean sheet of paper in the notebook we were writing name ideas down in, I write Sara in the middle of the page. I study it for a minute, then smile. "I love it," I say looking at my family, "it's perfect." "What about a last name?" Father asks. "I was thinking of taking the surname Wayne," I say shyly looking at him, "if that's alright with you." Father smiles, "of corse, your my daughter, you should have my name. I wouldn't have it my other way." I just go to him and give him a hug.

"I have something for you, Father says when I release him. "What?", I ask him surprised. "You'll see," he says with a smile handing me a long flat box with a purple bow in it. I take the box, open it and gasp. I lift the suit inside out, it's a black body suit with a dark purple bird on it. With it is a dark purple mask, and utility belt. "I finished it last night," Father explains, "Alfred wrapped it." "It's perfect," I say, with a smile, "thank you." "What is you're alias?", Tim asks, "who are you?" "I don't know," I say. "I do," Father says. "You're Sara Wayne, the Nightingale."