Dawn of a New Day Who: Dick Grayson and Liz Raleigh Where: Wayne Manor When: Thanksgiving Morning, November 22, 2012 What: Dick gives Liz the other tour. Rating: PG? Status: Completed in Gdocs
Despite his impossible hours of late, Dick stayed in the night before, and found himself awake before dawn, standing on the balcony outside the master bedroom of the manor, watching the low-lying fog roll in over the hills and picking out the barely visible tips of the pines on the west side of the estate, their dull green points like floating spinnerets in the mist. He stretched, as he always did before waking. Dawn was minutes away, but the cloud cover assured only the dullest of sunrises, an obfuscated bloom of ambient light creeping from the east and casting shadows out from where he propped, one leg on the bannister, his chest nearly flat against it, a grim face the only acknowledgment of familiar and recent pains. It was cold out, but he wore no shirt, used to worse due to his conditioning as Batman's apprentice from the earliest years of his life here in Bruce's castle.
Try as he might, Dick could still not consider it his. No matter that he'd stepped forward to fill Bruce's shoes, or what official paperwork carried his name. He was merely an occupant, now. He and Liz.
The sun would eventually burn the fog away and reveal the acreage of the estate, but before it did much more would be peeled away, revealed finally, despite the cautionary warnings issued by Tim Drake-Wayne, loyal brother and son.
He heard her stirring in the bed, his ears keen to pick up the sounds, and felt a change in wind as the door opened behind him.
Lizzy felt Dick get up before she did, but she didn’t bother to roll out of bed herself. Truth be told, she was tired and she felt like things were still odd between them. She wanted to give Dick some time to himself. He seemed to need it, especially since he was recovering and readjusting to Lizzy moving back in. She was taking things one day at a time, letting Dick figure out exactly where things stood. She knew there were still secrets between them, and she was trying to give him space to reveal them. Still, she had moments of impatience.
She finally stirred and rolled over, watching him for a moment before she got up. Unlike Dick, Lizzy was not fond of the chilly weather. She shivered as she searched for a robe, finally putting his on, since it was the one closest to the bed. She slipped on some house shoes and padded out to the balcony, walking over to Dick and nuzzling to his shoulder. Didn’t he feel how cold it was? She was practically shivering. The morning was beautiful, and she wondered how soon there would be snow.
“Morning,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around him. “We have a big day today.” She was hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for his family and friends tonight. It was actually fairly exciting. She brushed another kiss on his cheek. “Do you want me to call down for some coffee or breakfast?”
"Good morning, babe. Almost morning, anyway." Dick stepped back, planting both feet firmly on the deck and turning to face her. Liz was beautiful as ever, even in the mornings with her hair not yet tamed and her eyes heavy with the memory of sleep. Dick wanted to smile, but he knew that the next short while could easily try both of them. Maybe even break them. Instead, he took two steps and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly on the cheek before stepping back to search her face and get a read on her current mood. Things had been uneasy since the hospital. Since before his injury, honestly. It only brought them out into the open.
"Bigger than you know," he said, quietly. "Let's shower and put something warm and comfortable on. I want to show you something."
She raised an eyebrow at his statement, but just nodded and smiled at him before she pulled the robe closer around her and headed inside into the master bath. She wished she had the cold tolerance that Dick had, it would come in handy during Gotham’s blustery winters. She was exceptionally thankful that the bathroom was toasty and there were heated towel racks. She knew that this wasn’t the most environmentally sound practice, but she should be allowed some luxuries. After all, she lived in Wayne Manor.
Her shower was a bit hurried, as was getting ready. She could just feel tension from Dick, and she didn’t want him to get even more tense. She tossed her long hair up into a damp bun so it would look nice later, and put on some jeans, boots and a sweater to prepare for whatever Dick had coming for her. She only tossed on a bit of lip balm for makeup. She was raw and unfinished in front of Dick right now, but she trusted he loved her no matter what, even if she wasn’t as polished and perfect as she normally was.
He'd dashed down the hall to the spare bath and done the same, and was sitting on the edge of their bed dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt himself. Standing when she came out, he did smile, but it was the kind that showed just a hint of his fear, the kind that wanted to hold onto a moment before it threatened to be gone forever. He stood and walked over to her, taking her hands in his and indulging in a kiss, slow, savoring the moment, the feel of her lips and tongue and the steady resolve that continued to draw him to her. Parting slowly, he looked into her eyes again, then took her hand and led her down the hallway to the old study. The one with Bruce's private book collection and the piano that had not been tuned in a very long time.
Dick pulled a small tome from the bookshelf, a photo album with yellowed edges that had not been altered in decades, though it had often been studied. He flipped it open and set it on the closed piano, pulling out the bench and sitting to one side. He tapped the empty seat next to him and propped the album up, so it stood at a sharp angle.
It would be a lie for Lizzy to say that this wasn’t a bit ... odd. In fact, she was starting to worry that Dick was having some mental health issues. Still, she trusted him, so she followed. She had never been in Bruce’s study before, and her eyes scanned the room, taking in the antique books and the piano. It seemed so empty otherwise. She wondered if Dick was still struggling with his father’s death. She couldn’t even imagine her own father dying. It would seriously destroy a part of her.
She took a seat next to Dick, resting her hand on his thigh. Her eyes peered curiously at the photo album. Dick hadn’t really shared a lot about his past, and she wanted to know everything. She glanced over at Dick, her smile a bit nervous. She remained quiet, just waiting on him to speak.
The album's inside cover prominently displayed the name Wayne and nothing else, leatherbound and weathered slightly by age. "His mother made this," Dick began, flipping slowly through pages of family gatherings. He pointed at the boy featured prominently in the pictures. "This was Bruce." The pictures were happy ones, featuring the Wayne family at gatherings and outings. Eventually, they came to a page with fireworks, and one of young Bruce grinning with ice cream stains on his face. "Fourth of July. The year they died."
He turned the page again, slowly. There was some clear preparation, still unfinished. On the left, a Halloween design, on the right a Thanksgiving one. No pictures were on these two pages. "This was the last part Martha Wayne touched."
Dick turned to gauge her reaction, brow knit with concern. "You may want to steel yourself, just a little bit." He breathed slowly, and turned the page over. There was a newspaper article cut out, carefully positioned beneath the plastic cover of the photo album's page. "WAYNE MURDERS SHAKE GOTHAM" filled half the page. There was a picture of young Bruce hiding in a woman's arms printed with the article. Dick's voice shook a little, and he pointed at the woman. "Leslie. She was a colleague of Thomas Wayne's."
Liz’s attention was fully on Dick and the pictures he was showing her. It was a bit odd looking at these pictures of Bruce as a child. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew his parents had died young - she might even have remembered that they were murdered. But she wasn’t aware it was like this, that it was so brutal and done in front of Bruce. She carefully read the article that had been preserved so many years ago.
“Well,” she said softly, “that certainly explains why you are so close to Leslie.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, or where Dick was going with all of this.
Nodding thoughtfully, he steeled himself for more. There were articles following the trial of Joe Chill, the man that had killed Bruce's parents. There was a single picture dedicated to just Alfred Pennyworth. "This was Alfred. You saw him in the other shots too, but it looks like Bruce took this one." A few blank pages followed, and Dick flipped to the last one. A picture of a broken window. The one in the main study downstairs, recognizable by it's cut. "This was taken by Alfred, Bruce told me. One night, Bruce was reading in front of the fireplace downstairs, when a large bat just crashed into the window, and fell to the floor, stunned. It terrified him. He'd had a bad experience with them a few years before, once having fallen into an old well on the grounds and attacked by a startled swarm of them. Alfred came running at his screams, and managed to chase the bat out of the manor.
"There are caverns under the house, really old ones. They used to be used in the underground railroad before the Civil War. The Wayne family was helping escaped slaves from the south flee north to Canada."
He took a breath. "There was a reason Bruce placed this picture in this book. This happened only a couple years after, when he was 12. When his parents died, Bruce was deeply scarred. He was a gifted student, but his focus on his parents' death had led to Alfred - who'd gained custody of Bruce - pulling him out of his school and start teaching him at home."
Dick closed the album and set it on top of the piano. "Bruce ran away not long after, and was gone so long he was declared dead. He came back, eventually, but he wasn't the same." Grayson flipped open the piano lid to reveal the black and white keys beneath it. "What I'm about to tell you is a closely held secret. The closest. Whatever happens next, whatever you decide about you and me, this secret is bigger than us, than any of us. The city depends on keeping it from public knowledge. You won't be able to tell anyone else, not even family." His gaze was hard, but his hand was on hers, thumb stroking the back of her hand tenderly. "I know how crazy I must sound right now, Liz, but I need you to trust me. The way you've trusted me all this time. Just bear with me a little bit longer."
It was all a lot to take in, to be honest. It all seemed disjointed and confusing and Lizzy had no idea where he was going with this. He sounded a bit mad, and a bit paranoid to boot. She just kept nodding, trying to be reassuring and encouraging. She did trust him, and she was positive that this was going somewhere - though where was anyone’s guess.
“You can trust me,” she said softly. “I love you, and your secrets are mine. I will take them to the grave.”
He flinched. She had to say it that way, of all ways. The grave was the last place he wanted this to lead, for anyone. It had already greeted Bruce, and Alfred before him. Not to mention Jason all those years ago. Dick breathed in deeply through his nose, then turned to look at the keys, playing three chords in measured succession. A click against the far wall, barely audible, was followed by the bookshelf turning on hinges. Dick stood, and pulled the bookcase open even further, revealing a lift.
Standing with one foot on the lift, the other on the study's hardwood floor, Dick held his hand out to Liz.
Lizzy’s eyebrow shot up when the bookcase opened. Is this how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole? She always suspected that Wayne Manor held secrets, but a secret passage was far more than she suspected. She stood up from the bench, her movements slow, her face in awe of the cleverly hidden lift. Was she sure about this? This seemed like she was really falling into something huge, so much bigger than herself.
She stepped into the lift with Dick, holding his hand tightly. “A secret elevator?” She turned and smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood. “If this leads to a secret passage to City Hall you’ve been hiding all this time while I fight traffic, I am going to be pissed.”
Dick laughed, pulling the bookcase behind him and locking it back into place. "This one kind of bypasses City Hall." Pressing the button on the lift, he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her as the initial jolt of its descent began. Since the lift was open-faced, the brick and mortar skeleton of the manor sped by, giving way to rock, a series of ascending lights flashing by them. Another small jolt, and the lift stopped, clicking into place on the cave floor, the sound echoing in the darkness beyond. It was pitch black.
Dick took five steps forward, and the cave's sensors picked up his movement, illuminating the expanse beyond. The computer banks on the nearby wall came to a glowing life, monitors flipping on revealing sections of Gotham City on camera. Hot spots, ongoing surveillance, and more.
"This is the Batcave," he announced, pointing up to rafters high above, the very deepest foundations of the manor, where shadows swung slightly in the chilly drafts, wings flapping lazily at the intrusion of the lights and the sound of his voice. He kicked a pebble over the edge, and it skittered until it was too deep to be heard. A small colony of bats flew up from the darkness and over his head in their lopsided fashion. "Watch your step. It's a long drop."
It was hard to take everything in at once. Lizzy looked around the room, her eyes jumping from one thing to another, trying to decide what was the important thing to focus on. There were banks of computers, there were flying mammals. Really, it was a bat cave, but there was something else, something that caught her attention. Bat cave... bat cave... Batcave? She stood still for a moment, her mind racing. Was he Batman? How could he be Batman? Was Bruce Batman? Was that why Batman had disappeared?
She slowly turned and looked at her partner, her eyes as big as saucers. “Are you Batman?” Maybe Dick had taken up the mantle from his deceased father. That would explain, well, everything.
Dick shook his head, taking her hand and leading her over to the case that housed Bruce's costume, untouched since his death. "He was. But he told me, many times, that Batman was more than just a man. He was a symbol, something other, an incorruptible force for justice. Batman had to be more than just a man. He had to be..." Dick closed his mouth, staring at the armor. "A legend, undying."
He felt weak. He wanted to collapse, and yell and weep. He hadn't let himself grieve. There was too much to do yet, no time to stop and mourn. The city was falling into chaos without Bruce, and all of his acolytes could do nothing to stop it. Not as they were. Not without something more. Not without Bruce.
"He trained me first, after taking me in. When I found this place, and snuck in. Realized who he was." Dick laughed weakly. "I didn't really give him a choice."
She could feel the tension, the emotion rolling off of Dick. She knew he hadn’t grieved, it was obvious to someone who loved Dick the way she did. She held onto him, trying to give as much of herself as she could, of her strength to him. He had been strong for her after the accident, and all she could ever want to do is return the favor. Her fingers traced gently down his arm, trying to soothe him.
“And now the city needs that icon back,” she said softly. “And the perfect man to do it is the stubborn son of the original, a man trained by the first, to continue his legacy.” She paused for a moment, nodding her head slightly, glancing around again before looking back at him. He was so strong, so proud. She couldn’t believe sometimes that Dick Grayson would love her, and this only served to amplify those feelings. She actually loved him even more because not only was he sharing this with her, but he was also a man strong enough to be this, to be the hero the city needed.
"I'm not him, Liz. I never wanted to be. When I realized that, I left. It--" he searched for the right words, his face twisting into something that showed his disgust. "It consumes you, until you're nothing but a husk carrying on a war that will never end. Sacrificing everything along the way." When he said that, he turned and embraced her, holding her tightly. "Bruce made those sacrifices. You're here because--"
He exhaled, shaking, the cold air of the cave making his breath visible. "Because I can't."
Lizzy returned his embrace, her head resting on his chest. “Maybe it consumed Bruce because of who he was. You aren’t him.” She looked up into his eyes, one hand reaching to run through his hair. Dick would never be his father, and that was fine. Lizzy loved him for who he was, not for who he could be, or who his father was. He could do both, she was certain. In fact, she suspected he already was.
“But you are out doing it,” she said softly. “You are out doing something. The late nights, the bruises, the cuts.” Her fingers traced down his shoulder where she knew he had a cut from being attacked. “You weren’t working. You were in the streets, doing what he did. Not as Batman, but one of the other masked vigilantes.” She looked up into his eyes. She had to admit, she was a little hurt. She understood why he had not shared with her, but it hurt that his secrets had caused a rift between them.
“I just want to know the truth. Who are you when you aren’t with me?”
"When I started? I went by Robin, a name my mom had given me when I was in the circus. I was out there fighting for her and dad. When I left Bruce's very large shadow, I was Nightwing. Am Nightwing?"
His mask was still on the console near his own armor, the piece recently refit by Tam Fox. Dick let go of Liz and walked over to it, picking the mask up and affixing it over his eyes. He turned and looked hesitantly at Liz, then.
"There was another. He died. He was like a brother to me for the short time I knew him. And then Tim and Cass showed up, almost at the same time. Tim took my old name, like Jason had. Now he's doing his own thing. And Cass? She took to it naturally. Before she ever came to Gotham, she was already a fighter, capable of taxing even Bruce's skills. We've known others, but only they were really family."
Suddenly, tonight’s guest list made a lot more sense. A family of crime fighters seemed fitting for Dick and his brother, and that also helped her understand the tension she seemed to feel from Tim. Lizzy was an outsider. Tim’s girlfriend was part of this clique, so she could be easily admitted. And then there was Tam, but Lizzy assumed that she had a role as well. Dick was letting her into his inner circle, into who he really was - and she was very touched. A part of her, however, wondered how she could possibly integrate herself into this team. What did she really have to offer this family? She could barely walk in heels some days, so the idea of being a heroic crime fighter was laughable.
She looked over Dick again. “I want to help. I mean, I can’t do all the cool vigilante crime fighting stuff,” she said, pausing and walking over to him. “But I do know you can’t do everything. You can’t run Wayne Enterprises and save Gotham.” She wasn’t really sure where her mind was going until the words came out. “I mean, I could run Wayne.” She paused for a moment. It made sense. Her gift was the law, technicalities and legalese. “The DA’s office is a brick wall, and really, I could do more with the non-profit we discussed than I ever could as an ADA.” It seemed reasonable. She’d help Dick manage the Wayne side so he had more time to be Nightwing, and hopefully more time for their relationship.
The moment she said she wanted to help, Dick was at once relieved and terrified, and shook with the sudden combination of conflicting emotions. Yet another part of him calculated that it was important to have someone in the DA's office. The tactical part. He also knew that her working in there, while being aware of who he was, placed her in a complicated ethical situation. She was charged with upholding the law. Knowing about him created a conflict of interest.
"We need good people in the DA's office," he decided to say, pausing only to look up at the computer displays. Thanksgiving afternoon was quiet. Good, because he was looking forward to all of them being at the table, no secrets to hide. "But I can't ask you to stay there, knowing what you now know. If you wish to leave, I'll find something for you."
“It’s a big secret,” Lizzy said softly, glancing around again, mostly watching Dick in his element. Could she do this and uphold her oath? On one hand, she never was a critic of the vigilantes. She thought most of them were doing the right thing. Plus, they were able to circumvent the red tape that so often plagued her and her office. She knew she was only going to be handed petty crimes until someone was taken out of the DA’s office.
Lizzy walked up and rested her hand on Dick’s lower back. “Find me something. Maybe it’s time I put my skills to use for a non-profit or even my boyfriend.” She wasn’t sure what to do, but she knew, deep down, that working at the DA’s office was only asking for more trouble. “Besides, it would be safer.”
"I guess, and I could use the help. I considered asking Tim, but he keeps busy too, and I've got him checking in on a recent acquisition that the Penguin sold us." He immediately recalled that she was close to the man, like a mentor or uncle type. "Sorry, Oz. But he is the Penguin. Hate to break the news to you like this."
If there was any piece of news that would actually shock her, it was the idea that her beloved former stepfather was, well, the Penguin. She actually felt a bit light headed, and her other hand reached for his arm to steady herself. “No,” she said softly. To her, Oz was a good man, an honest man - a man who made her into the woman she was today. If Oz was a criminal, what did that really say about her?
She took a few deep, cleansing breaths. She could process this later. “So, what do you need from me, then?”
Her reaction gutted him a little. Dick thought he could have waited to tell her, now, but it had been hard enough working around the problem before and he decided to simply be there for her. He held her, hoping to keep her steady. "He's not all bad." Then, when it was clear she decided to focus on what lay ahead, he smiled softly. "Right now, I need you to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with my family, without the secrets getting in the way. I figure we'll all have lots to talk about."
He'd informed Cass and Tim of his intentions to bring Liz in, but he hadn't really given them any say in the matter either. Dick hoped this would not be a problem, and it wouldn't for Cass, but his adopted brother? That was not as certain. "Tim may be upset, but he'll be polite. Cass is going to love being able to talk to you about everything, I already know that. We'll have the dining room to ourselves, once the meal is served. I'm hoping you'll simply take time to get used to everything."
The shift in focus helped Lizzy a lot. She had been working on the menu for the dinner for a few days, and she was sure it would be perfect. Unfortunately, she was already even more tense about Tim. She felt like he didn’t care much for her, and though she had a lot more insight on the situation, it didn’t abate all of her fears. She certainly didn’t want to become the wedge between two brothers who had already lost so much. At least there was Cass, whom Lizzy adored.
“Well, we still have a few hours. I am sure we could find some way to relax.” Maybe a nice cup of coffee in front of the fire. Dick always had good ideas for this kind of thing. She just hoped that Dick didn’t get called away. Right now, she needed him.
He gave it a thought, then a slow grin showed on his face. Placing his arm around her waist, Dick led Liz further into the cave. As they approached the waterfall at the mouth of it, which could be heard in the distance, he waited until the lights activated and revealed the Batmobile. The sporty one. "How about a backroads cruise?"
A huge smile spread across Lizzy’s face as the Batmobile was revealed. This car was sexy as sin and probably twice as fast. “I think this rich, superhero boyfriend thing might not be so bad after all.”