starsandsea (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
starsandsea) wrote2008-04-20 08:42 pm
starsandsea) wrote2008-04-20 08:42 pm
Entry tags:
Fic: The Beat Of Bats Wings (2/10)
Title: The Beat Of Bats Wings (2/10)
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Bruce, BatClan, eventual Bruce/Clark
Word Count: 1180
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts, with notes, can be found here. Lots of thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jen_in_japan for the beta! :)
It was only a few weeks later when things changed. Bruce sat in his room, gazing into the fire, absently stroking Ace's ears. His father had left a week ago on a visit to an outlying city.
He had returned only a few days later with a wife.
Everyone had been stunned. They had never thought their father would take a second wife, not after so long. Bruce frowned. He had disliked her on sight. She was beautiful, he supposed, with her flowing red hair and bright blue eyes. But all he could see when he looked in them was hate and anger and greed. Hate whenever he saw her looking at him, or his brothers and sisters.
Whatever happened, this woman didn't bode well for their futures. She wanted them gone. Bruce frowned again.
There was a knock on the door. Bruce stood and walked over to it, lifting the latch slowly, then opening it a crack. His siblings were all gathered outside. Bruce opened the door and moved so they could come in, then secured the door once more. Everyone found places to sit. Bruce returned to his seat by the fire. Stephanie came up to sit on his lap. Bruce put his arms around her.
"What do we do, Bruce?" Dick was sitting on his bed. Jason, sitting beside him, was twirling an unsheathed knife in his hands.
"I don't know. I don't know if there is anything we can do."
"There must be something!"
Bruce shook his head sadly at Barbara. "I've all ready tried." They all looked at him. "I tried talking to Father, but he just wouldn't listen."
"Then we try again. Each of us. All of us." Dick looked around the room at them all.
"He will not listen." Cassandra's voice was quiet, but carried through the room. Bruce closed his eyes. They all knew that, in their hearts.
"I don't like her." Bruce opened his eyes to see Stephanie looking up at him with big blue eyes.
"I know, Stephy."
"Why did he suddenly decide to marry? Why now?" Jason spat the question as he continued to twirl the knife.
Dick nodded. "I thought for sure that you would be the next to be married, Bruce."
Bruce grimaced. He didn't like remembering that there were arrangements being made for him to become betrothed to a Prince in a distant kingdom. A more powerful kingdom. Bruce sighed. He didn't want to burden his brothers and sisters with what he had seen in their father's wife's eyes, the hate towards them, the horrible feeling growing in his stomach that she was going to do something to them...
"He is not right." They looked at Cassandra in question.
"What do you mean, Cass?"
She glanced at them. Bruce tightened his hold on Stephanie as the feeling in his stomach grew heavier.
"I..." Bruce frowned. Cassandra never looked this uncertain, not when it came to reading people.
"Cass?" Jason had stopped twirling the knife. He touched Cassandra's arm gently.
"I think she put a spell on him."
"A spell?" Tim was frowning. Cassandra nodded.
Bruce closed his eyes again. "A spell to make him fall in love with her?" He opened his eyes to see Cassandra nodding, a hint of fear in her eyes. There was a gasping intake of breath and they all moved closer to each other. There was silence for long moments.
"I'll contact Zatanna. Ask her to come here, see if she can tell us if there has been a spell cast on Father, and if she can reverse it, if there is."
They all nodded. "What shall we do in the meantime?" Dick asked.
Bruce looked at them all, making sure they were all listening. "Don't let her know that we suspect anything. Try to avoid her, if you can. And don't go anywhere alone." They all nodded again. Bruce stared hard at Jason, then caught Cassandra's eye, seeing her small nod. She would make sure Jason obeyed the last order.
"I'm scared, Bruce."
Bruce smiled as best as he could, and hugged Stephanie. "Don't be. Things will all work out. You'll see."
As Barbara took Stephanie's hand, and his brothers and sisters filtered out of his room, Bruce wondered who he was trying to convince more.
*****
A fortnight had gone by, and things had only gotten worse. It was little things, that to an observer wouldn't have seemed so odd: Stephanie's favourite doll going missing, Dick's horse going lame, the book Tim was reading disappearing. Each day their father drew away from from them, each day the dread in Bruce's stomach grew.
Finally, finally, when he was beginning to lose all hope of being able to keep his siblings in line, of continuing to hide their suspicions from their step-mother, he received word from Zatanna that she would arrive the next day. Bruce had gathered his siblings together that night, in his room, and they all awaited the dawn together, telling each other stories, all of them knowing that after this night, this dawn, nothing would ever be the same again.
They left before dawn, Bruce deciding it would be best, safest, if they saw Zatanna before she came to the castle. It would give them a chance to explain why he had sent for her. It was cold, a heavy mist lying around the trees, lacing them in white. Bruce held Tim and a sleeping Stephanie on his horse, Dick and Barbara rode together, as did Jason and Cassandra.
Dick looked at him, but Bruce didn't return his gaze. The sun came up, stretching rays through the mists, just as they reached their mother's grave. They halted as one and Bruce dismounted, carefully leading his coal black stallion to the headstone that marked where she lay, then took the rose he had taken from the castle's gardens before they had left, and gently placed it down on the green mound, whispering quietly, asking for their mother's help.
It was Stephanie's scream that alerted them all to the danger.
Bruce spun around, unsheathing his sword, and gasped at what he saw. Their step-mother had appeared from nowhere, a mocking smile on her face.
"Fools. Did you really think you could defeat me?" She laughed, but it was a hollow sound, and Bruce felt his spine turn to ice.
The horses were rearing, but Bruce was frozen in place. He saw Tim and Stephanie fall and then... and then, suddenly, in their place were two shadows, dark against the pale mists. Bats, his mind supplied, but he was too horrified to do anything else but watch as the same transformation took Dick and Barbara, then Jason and Cassandra.
The horses were rearing, screaming in fear. The last thing Bruce saw before his world went black was six giant bats, dark against the rising sun, flying up into the mists.
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Bruce, BatClan, eventual Bruce/Clark
Word Count: 1180
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Previous parts, with notes, can be found here. Lots of thanks to
jen_in_japan for the beta! :)It was only a few weeks later when things changed. Bruce sat in his room, gazing into the fire, absently stroking Ace's ears. His father had left a week ago on a visit to an outlying city.
He had returned only a few days later with a wife.
Everyone had been stunned. They had never thought their father would take a second wife, not after so long. Bruce frowned. He had disliked her on sight. She was beautiful, he supposed, with her flowing red hair and bright blue eyes. But all he could see when he looked in them was hate and anger and greed. Hate whenever he saw her looking at him, or his brothers and sisters.
Whatever happened, this woman didn't bode well for their futures. She wanted them gone. Bruce frowned again.
There was a knock on the door. Bruce stood and walked over to it, lifting the latch slowly, then opening it a crack. His siblings were all gathered outside. Bruce opened the door and moved so they could come in, then secured the door once more. Everyone found places to sit. Bruce returned to his seat by the fire. Stephanie came up to sit on his lap. Bruce put his arms around her.
"What do we do, Bruce?" Dick was sitting on his bed. Jason, sitting beside him, was twirling an unsheathed knife in his hands.
"I don't know. I don't know if there is anything we can do."
"There must be something!"
Bruce shook his head sadly at Barbara. "I've all ready tried." They all looked at him. "I tried talking to Father, but he just wouldn't listen."
"Then we try again. Each of us. All of us." Dick looked around the room at them all.
"He will not listen." Cassandra's voice was quiet, but carried through the room. Bruce closed his eyes. They all knew that, in their hearts.
"I don't like her." Bruce opened his eyes to see Stephanie looking up at him with big blue eyes.
"I know, Stephy."
"Why did he suddenly decide to marry? Why now?" Jason spat the question as he continued to twirl the knife.
Dick nodded. "I thought for sure that you would be the next to be married, Bruce."
Bruce grimaced. He didn't like remembering that there were arrangements being made for him to become betrothed to a Prince in a distant kingdom. A more powerful kingdom. Bruce sighed. He didn't want to burden his brothers and sisters with what he had seen in their father's wife's eyes, the hate towards them, the horrible feeling growing in his stomach that she was going to do something to them...
"He is not right." They looked at Cassandra in question.
"What do you mean, Cass?"
She glanced at them. Bruce tightened his hold on Stephanie as the feeling in his stomach grew heavier.
"I..." Bruce frowned. Cassandra never looked this uncertain, not when it came to reading people.
"Cass?" Jason had stopped twirling the knife. He touched Cassandra's arm gently.
"I think she put a spell on him."
"A spell?" Tim was frowning. Cassandra nodded.
Bruce closed his eyes again. "A spell to make him fall in love with her?" He opened his eyes to see Cassandra nodding, a hint of fear in her eyes. There was a gasping intake of breath and they all moved closer to each other. There was silence for long moments.
"I'll contact Zatanna. Ask her to come here, see if she can tell us if there has been a spell cast on Father, and if she can reverse it, if there is."
They all nodded. "What shall we do in the meantime?" Dick asked.
Bruce looked at them all, making sure they were all listening. "Don't let her know that we suspect anything. Try to avoid her, if you can. And don't go anywhere alone." They all nodded again. Bruce stared hard at Jason, then caught Cassandra's eye, seeing her small nod. She would make sure Jason obeyed the last order.
"I'm scared, Bruce."
Bruce smiled as best as he could, and hugged Stephanie. "Don't be. Things will all work out. You'll see."
As Barbara took Stephanie's hand, and his brothers and sisters filtered out of his room, Bruce wondered who he was trying to convince more.
*****
A fortnight had gone by, and things had only gotten worse. It was little things, that to an observer wouldn't have seemed so odd: Stephanie's favourite doll going missing, Dick's horse going lame, the book Tim was reading disappearing. Each day their father drew away from from them, each day the dread in Bruce's stomach grew.
Finally, finally, when he was beginning to lose all hope of being able to keep his siblings in line, of continuing to hide their suspicions from their step-mother, he received word from Zatanna that she would arrive the next day. Bruce had gathered his siblings together that night, in his room, and they all awaited the dawn together, telling each other stories, all of them knowing that after this night, this dawn, nothing would ever be the same again.
They left before dawn, Bruce deciding it would be best, safest, if they saw Zatanna before she came to the castle. It would give them a chance to explain why he had sent for her. It was cold, a heavy mist lying around the trees, lacing them in white. Bruce held Tim and a sleeping Stephanie on his horse, Dick and Barbara rode together, as did Jason and Cassandra.
Dick looked at him, but Bruce didn't return his gaze. The sun came up, stretching rays through the mists, just as they reached their mother's grave. They halted as one and Bruce dismounted, carefully leading his coal black stallion to the headstone that marked where she lay, then took the rose he had taken from the castle's gardens before they had left, and gently placed it down on the green mound, whispering quietly, asking for their mother's help.
It was Stephanie's scream that alerted them all to the danger.
Bruce spun around, unsheathing his sword, and gasped at what he saw. Their step-mother had appeared from nowhere, a mocking smile on her face.
"Fools. Did you really think you could defeat me?" She laughed, but it was a hollow sound, and Bruce felt his spine turn to ice.
The horses were rearing, but Bruce was frozen in place. He saw Tim and Stephanie fall and then... and then, suddenly, in their place were two shadows, dark against the pale mists. Bats, his mind supplied, but he was too horrified to do anything else but watch as the same transformation took Dick and Barbara, then Jason and Cassandra.
The horses were rearing, screaming in fear. The last thing Bruce saw before his world went black was six giant bats, dark against the rising sun, flying up into the mists.