Clare Mackenzie was a very tired woman. Sitting in the nice recliner of her apartment in East Gotham, she watched the television in silence while her little kitten, Jonesy, purred happily in her lap. Clare had lived a full life as a devoted maid and nanny to the Bouchards even after the kind couple had died. Dear Janet had been such a darling, and Clare continued to serve her even as she grew older and married that fool, Drake.
Then that horrible day came, and it made Clare's heart break just thinking of it. The armed men, the screaming, the kicking, and Timothy... Dear God that poor boy.
It had been so long since Clare had checked up on him. She would need to stop by Wayne Manor at some point and see how he was doing.
Clare was broken from her thoughts when there was a sudden knock on the door. Jonesy perked up and scampered off of his mistress' lap, going up to the door and sitting patiently like he always did whenever someone visited. Smiling at the cat's actions, Clare slowly got up from her seat, adjusting her robe as she walked to the door. Undoing the lock, she opened it, and upon seeing the person standing in the doorway, Clare felt her heart skip a beat.
A young woman stood before her, slim and quite beautiful with dark raven hair, shoulder length, and piercing blue eyes. She had smooth skin as pale as the moonlight and blood red lips sewn tightly together into a perpetual frown. She wore a dark purple dress concealed partly by a nice black fur coat. If Clare didn't know any better, she would assume she was looking at Janet, back from the dead.
"Clare Mackenzie?" the woman asked, her voice rather sharp.
"Yes?" Clare said slowly, frowning. "Can I help you?"
The woman's face remained impassive. "You would like to invite me in."
Clare froze for a moment, her expression fading into a blank visage before she gave a kind smile. However, her eyes seemed empty and unfocused. She stepped back and made room for the woman to enter.
"Yes, of course. Please come in."
Not even sparing Clare a glance, the woman walked in rather stiffly, surveying the room with narrowed eyes. Jonesy, who had scampered away behind the couch the moment the door opened, emerged into the open and looked up at the woman. The hair on his beck stood up as he hissed threateningly at the woman, not liking the scent she gave off.
The woman's head turned swiftly to glare at the cat. Her index finger twitched slightly, and Jonesy twitched in tandem before cowering, and then disappeared into one of the back rooms.
Clare closed the door, and smiled at her visitor. "How can I help you, miss?"
The woman slowly glanced at her. "You worked for the Bouchards before their deaths. They had a daughter, correct?"
"Yes," Clare said, smiling and for some reason not even hesitating to share the information. "Her name was Janet. A darling girl. She had a wonderful personality and was so very, very kind. I remember a time when-"
"She is dead, correct?" the woman interrupted rather rudely.
"Yes, that's right."
"And her child. She had a son. What was his name?"
"Timothy. Why? Did you know Ms. Janet?"
By now, the woman had turned to face Clare fully. "You will give me all the information you have on Timothy. Now."
Clare paused for a moment, her head tilting a little, before she smiled. "Of course."
Clare walked slowly to the kitchen, her movements appearing somewhat forced as she opened a drawer and pulled out multiple pieces of paper, photographs and what not. She spent the next thirty minutes organizing them all into a perfect pile, and handed them to the woman.
She took them, and on the top of the pile was a photograph of Tim. The woman took a deep breath as she looked at the photo, her finger trailing along the photo as a flurry of different emotions passed through her face before going impassive once more. Tucking the pile under her shoulder, she looked up at Clare, who was still staring off into space.
"Turn on the oven," the woman ordered.
Clare did just that.
"Stick your head inside," the woman said, and briskly walked out of the apartment.
She had just exited the lobby when the elderly couple living in the apartment next door to Clare smelled smoke, and the entire building fell into chaos as the firemen came.
YOU ARE READING
Special || Batfamily
Hayran KurguAU where Tim Drake is the biological son of Bruce Wayne, conceived through an affair with Janet Drake. Tim was also born with a gift. As he grows up, he grows into the force that binds his family, and their allies, together. 💫💫💫 THIS STORY DOES N...
