SHIELD [Book 1 of Alex & Allie Save The World]

Chapter 11 The Talk

"Where should we start?"

Allie is sitting in a large armchair with her hands folded in her lap and smiling expectantly. Bruce and Alex sit before her in less comfortable and less grand chairs, both avoiding eye contact and tapping their fingers on the armrests.

The three have been sitting in the main living room in silence for quite some time now, Alex and Bruce both refusing to speak first.

"Alex?" Allie prompts.

"Bruce is Batman!" Alex blurts out.

"Fucking dammit Alex again!?" Bruce snaps and Allie shakes her head.

"Hey! Both of you!" Allie shouts and claps her hands. "You both have a lot of explaining to do."

"Why? Isn't it obvious by now?" Alex counters and crosses her arms.

"I need to hear it from the both of you."

"Bruce you go first," Alex defers and the man huffs.

"Fine." He turns to Allie and leans forward intently, engaging all her attention. "Allison, I am Batman and I have been for a long time."

"Thank you Bruce," Allie breathes out and reaches out to squeeze his hand. Hearing the admission from him makes it all real.

"I became Batman years ago to protect the city I love. All those years ago I could not save my parents; I became Batman so I could save other's parents, children, brothers, sisters. I live to protect and do justice for the victims."

Quiet surrounds them and Allie's eyes fall downcast and Bruce runs his thumb over her palm to comfort her.

"You did it for vengeance too," Alex cuts in and the moment shatters.

"Alex you ruined it," Allie pouts.

"No, I made it more dramatic," Alex corrects and Allie gives a relenting nod.

"That's my story," Bruce finishes and pointedly looks to Alex. Allie joins in his impending stare while Alex sheepishly smiles.

"Your turn Alex," Bruce prompts.

"N-no! You still haven't said how you became Batman or explained Robin or talked about the Batcave," Alex intercedes desperately.

"Batcave? Robin?" Allie inquires, taking the bait and shifting her focus. Bruce makes a displeased face and heaves a sigh. "Wait was Dick the Robin?"

"He-uh," Bruce starts and shakes his head. "Yeah, he was."

"He moved to Bludhaven...is he Nightwing now?"

"Yes."

"Why did he become Robin? He must have been about twelve when he donned the mask," Allie mumbles and Bruce drops his head down.

"Robin needed to help bring the man that killed his family to justice."

"So he would turn out like you?" Allie utters, not at all accusing but wholly wondering.

"So he wouldn't." The expression on Bruce's face is genuine, all he wanted was to help Dick, to stop another Batman from being created. "But he still did and that's why he left because he became too much like me."

"I understand," Allie says and cups Bruce's cheek. "You did your best and I am sure he knows that." Bruce leans into her touch and nods against her palm.

The moment is over all too fast and Bruce shoots a glare at Alex.

"It's really your turn now Aldridge," he huffs. "I don't think me discussing the tedious process of designing the suit and the tech really matters." The blonde vigilante crosses her arms and slouches back into her chair, defiantly sticking her nose up. Allie levels with her friend and stares intently into her eyes.

"Are you Gypsy Sentinel? Can you tell me the truth?"

"Yes."

Seconds of silence pass as the pair faces a new and forever changed future.

"Alex, it's time. We cannot keep her from this any longer."

"It's to protect her! Everything I've done, it was to protect her, to make this city safer for her," Alex seethes in Bruce's direction, angled away from Allie. "I took every precaution for her so you have to understand how hard this is for me to just give up." Bruce says nothing in reply but Allie cuts in.

"But Alex you've been Gypsy Sentinel longer than I've lived in Gotham," she points out.

"Exactly." Allie frowns a d Alex huffs, not wanting to fully confess. "I remembered the dreams of life we shared together and I wanted to build that life for us before I reached out to you."

The confession is loaded and Allie waves for Alex to elaborate causing the sterner blonde to grumble.

"I began by cleaning up the streets of Gotham and then I launched Gotham City Sentinel. I was planning on waiting until Gotham was safer, but I rose to fame and you came to me."

"For the longest time I thought you were dead but there was no funeral so I never really knew," Allie reveals and inhales shakily as she recalls those dark moments in her life. "Everything, and I mean everything, was searching for you and waiting for you to come back."

"You searched?"

"Yes, but you wouldn't be proud of me. I didn't look hard enough, I hit a dead end after you disappeared off the London Long Term Care records," Allie admits in a somber and weak tone while sniffling. "I assumed you died...again."

Alex watches as Allie cries and hiccups, her own emotions displaying more subtly with wet eyes and a blank expression.

"You couldn't have found me," Alex assures. "I'm proud you got that far."

"Where did you go?"

"It's too difficult to go into detail but I was trafficked in a metahuman ring. I was sold to a collector and for a year she held me. When I escaped her I couldn't imagine going to Metropolis so I moved to Gotham," Alex explains stoically, her resolve never cracking. She learned during her captivity how to hold a blank face, to conceal her grief.

"I went to Star City after Metropolis, I couldn't return either," Allie murmurs.

"What happened in Metropolis?" Both girls stiffen at Bruce's question, that day was traumatic for them both.

"Well Allie, where should I start?" It's a question as to how much Allie wants to reveal to Bruce about what went down.

"The beginning of the day," Allie decides and Alex nods, awkwardly smiling.

"April 30th, 2008," Alex breathes out and Allie goes slightly pale. "I was shot and I died at my father's mayoral commencement speech."

"I remember," Allie whispers as that day replays in both their heads.