Disclaimer: I don't own any of the DC comics characters. This is a work of fiction. All rights and stuff go to them except for the characters that I make.
Thank you Y-at-Z for your email.I almost forgot that romance matters more than sex. Sex is nice, but it only last for a few minutes whereas romance lasts forever.
Chapter 5: Searching Within
Bruce and I had been going out on a regular basis, and every few weeks we would travel out of Gotham. He was pressing me to move in with him, but I kept my reserve and told him, not right now, that it was too soon. Do you think that wrong, did I do the right thing? I asked myself those questions a lot lately. It had been five months since we started going out.
One night, it was in the middle of December because the rain was picking up more and more, and I was in my bed, just stating to nod off, when I heard my window slide open. I lifted up and turned on my new lamp. It was a shade of blue, so it didn't hurt the eyes, and dimly lit the room up at the same time. When I turned to look at Batman (Bruce) I couldn't believe what I saw. His mask was partially torn, exposing the left eye and part of his nose. But that wasn't the worst of it, he was bleeding from his bottom lip, and had a slice on his chin.
When I looked at his posture, he was slightly slumped over, but was forcing himself to keep some sort of straight form, but was failing miserably. I ran up to him, but kept some distance, not knowing where exactly he was hurt.
"Oh my gawd.Bru.what happened?"
It seemed to take a lot out of him to even speak.
"There was a fight."
"Well I gather that, I will grab my robe and well drive you home, so I can properly look over you, and I can have Alfred's help. Batman was to object, but he knew that I had medical training, I deal with cuts and accidents all the time in a kitchen. Some of the most horrific accidents happen there or in the bathroom.
After I locked my door, Batman and I walked down the steps, towards the waiting batmobile. I helped him in the passenger seat, and I crawled in the driver seat. Before I got all excited, thinking I was going to get to drive, he pushed the auto-drive button and logged in the directions to the bat cave. The roof slid forward, sealing us in, the engine revved and we were off. Down the street, turning on every corner possible it seemed, when finally we came to the gravel road, coming up to the entrance. He leaned over, with some struggle, and pushed the button to open the rock door and pushed it again, after we were in.
When the car stopped inside the cave, the roof slid back, and I jumped out, running to the telecom, that connected to Alfred's room. The screen showed his face, he smiled when he saw me, but looked tired as well.
"((Yawn)) Yes, Master Frankie."
"It's Batman.he needs help. Can you bring the medical kit?"
"On my way."
His last sentence was said with a stern tone, he knew there was trouble. I tightened my robe and turned to see Batman getting out of the batmobile. As he lifted his leg to get over, he caught his foot, and would have face planted, but I managed to run up to him, catching him by the chest. I could hear him wincing in pain, and when I got his foot un- caught, we both slowly walked to the medical table. There was a red button on the side that had an H on it.
"Is that to heat the table?"
"Y..yes."
I flipped the button on and after a few seconds the table started getting warm, not hot, but warmer than freezing cold steel. Batman placed his butt against the table, and lifted onto it, with a large amount of struggle. As he laid back, I heard Alfred coming down the steps. I reached to take off the mask, and as I pulled it off, the two pieces separated and fell to the floor. I undid his logo, releasing the cape, when Alfred handed me a pair of scissors.
"Just cut the suit, we have lots more."
"Alright."
I slid the sharp point down, at the necks opening, and started slicing through the rubber chest plate. At one point Alfred was pulling it, forcing it to tear even more. When we managed to removed it completely, I saw a few bruises, but when Alfred turned on the overhead light and brought it closer, those faint bruises became very dark, the color of overly ripe plums. Alfred was feeling, trying to see if there were any broken bones,
"Thankfully, it seems there are no broken bones, but there are a few ribs that are delicate to the touch. If we put some ointment on them, and bandage him up, these should be fine."
I felt his right leg, Bruce seemed to respond in a natural way, but when I got to his left thigh, he winced in pain. I sliced down the fabric, while Alfred removed Bruce's boots. There was another dark purple bruise on his thigh. Again, there weren't any broken bones, but when I looked at his face, I noticed at his side there was a small pool of blood, gathering on the table.
"Alfred."
We both circled over to his side, and sure enough, there was a two inch cut, that appeared to go deep. I drabbed a pair of gloves from the tray, Alfred had laid out, and looked into Bruce's eyes.
"This is going to hurt, but I need to know if any organs were punctured,"
I didn't even wait for a response, I stuck my finger in the cut, and felt to for any irregularity. Besides the opening, there seemed nothing wrong. Bruce didn't yell, but he cringed and grunted. I looked over at Alfred,
"He's lucky."
Alfred nodded his head, but just as we thought we were in the okay, Bruce's body started to jerk, and then started to mumble. His eyes closed, and when I went and lifted the lids, I peered into his eyes. Alfred looked over at me,
"What's wrong?"
"He's hypovolemic.he's bleeding to death."
"Oh gawd."
I watched as Bruce started to sweat, while his skin was turning pale. Alfred disappeared for a second, but when he returned, he had with him a few bags of blood and transfusion kit. It looked rather old, but he assured me that it would work. We split up doing tasks, I went to sew up Bruce's wound, while Alfred was going to pump the blood into Bruce's body. I managed to close to cut and sew it up, just as Alfred started the blood flow. I was cleaning up his side, when I could see the effects of the added blood start to take. Bruce's breathing started to pick up to a normal rate, and when he opened his eyes, I felt my heart slow its rate as well. After both bags of blood were in Bruce, I placed a cotton ball and a piece of medical tape over the little needle hole. We lifted Bruce half way up, so that we could apply some of the ointment on the bruises and wrap them up.
After we finished wrapping his chest and leg, I told Alfred that we had to get him into bed and as we walked over to a hidden elevator, which led to his study. Alfred said that he would open the secret entrance that led to the bedroom. So I had all of Bruce leaning on me, and I have to say, thanks to the adrenaline pumping through my veins, he didn't seem to weigh that much. When Alfred came back, he took Bruce's right arm, while I had his left and we sort of drug Bruce to bed. Alfred had pulled back the covers and as I laid Bruce down onto the bed, Bruce's arm wrapped around my back. He lightly mumbled,
"Is it my birthday."
I lightly scoffed, "no, your going to sleep, I will check in on you in a few hours."
"Mmmm.okay.love..you."
That was the first time he had said it. I couldn't believe what I heard, but as I lifted back up, and covered him, I turned to Alfred who looked shocked.
"What?"
"I heard what he told you."
"It's probably the morphine you gave him, it's making him delusional."
"No I know what I heard."
We both walked through the secret entrance to the study and closed the door, heading back to the bat cave. We cleaned up and disposed of the ointment wrappers, and the blood bags. When everything was back in order, I followed Alfred up the stairs and towards the kitchen.
"Would you like some coffee, Master Frankie?"
"Alfred I would love some."
I noticed that it was around 5:30AM, when we sat down at the kitchen counter and talked about what life was like for Bruce when he was a child. Finally, after a few hours I went up to check on Bruce, but when I got to the bedroom, he wasn't in bed. I looked for him in the bathroom, but when I peered inside, I felt arms wrap around my waist, and a deep voice shake my heart,
"Good morning Frankie."
I jumped, "Bruce.don't do that."
"Don't do what?"
"You know what, go all Batman on me."
"Well I can't help that, since I am."
"Yeah.yeah I know the dark knight. So your feeling better I take it."
"I'm sore, but I feel better."
"That's good, but you should lay back down. Get some more rest."
I felt him nod, and as I turned to face him he smiled his devilish smile.
"You want to come to bed with me?"
"I would, but I think it's best if I let you rest."
He nodded again, and as I helped him back into bed, I kissed his lips, and felt his lips press against mine. It took everything I had not to make the kiss longer, but I knew that he needed is rest. As I turned to walk out of the room, his voice carried over,
"I love you Frankie."
I was stunned again, but only slightly.
"I love you too Bruce."
As I walked back to the kitchen, Alfred had refilled my cup of coffee, and saw the confused expression on my face.
"Is there something troubling you Master Frankie?"
"There is.can I talk to you about a few things, and not have them repeated?"
"Of course.I hold a great deal of secrets."
"Bruce told me just now, that he loves me, and I told him I love him back."
"Is there something wrong with that?"
"No.no. I do love him.but I don't know if I can stay with him. I honestly thought that he was going to die, if we hadn't of noticed the blood or caught it in time, he would have."
"I know what you're going to say. We have had some very near misses, worse than this morning."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about Alfred. I don't know if I'm strong enough to be his partner. The night Bruce doesn't come home, the night Batman dies.I'll be crushed."
"You and me both. I worry about that every night, and let me tell you something Frankie."
I was shocked when he said my name, without a master in front of it.
"You are stronger than anyone I have ever seen. Your heart has bared a lot, but with that, it has made you stronger.stronger than you think. There have been times, where I just wanted to leave. This isn't what a butler should be doing, but then I look into Master Bruce's eyes and see the good that he does. I realize that there are a lot of dangerous people in Gotham, and if I can help the one man, who stands up against them, then I feel that I have done my part. That's how I sleep at night. All I ask of you Master Frankie, is to trust your heart."
With that, he turned to walk away.
"Thank you Alfred."
"Your welcome."
I was lying on the couch, staring at the giant fire place, when I heard Bruce walk in. I had managed to get a few more hours of sleep, even though I was still tired, I couldn't get myself to go to bed. Bruce was lightly limping, you would have had to really stare at his leg to notice, when he sat next to me. There was silence for a few minutes, nothing but the occasional crack from the wood. Finally he spoke,
"I want to thank you Frankie for what you did. And I'm sorry if I scared you."
I looked down at my robe, that had a few blood spots, that were now dry, and I smiled.
"Your welcome."
"Is there something wrong?"
"Bruce we need to talk about this, you and me."
"Alright."
"I'm scared right now.and worst of all, I'm confused. There is a mixture of emotions going on in my head right now. I honestly thought you weren't going to make it last night."
"I've been through worse."
"Yeah.I know, Alfred told me. That's what I'm talking about.you deserve a partner who's strong, who."
I trailed off, trying to think of the best words to use, without sounding cold.
"I'm afraid of loosing you, and I don't know what to do."
"Don't you think I fear the same thing? These last five months have been the best, and I don't want that to stop."
"Bruce.if you lost me, I see you getting over it.but if I lost you. I think I would give up."
"What do you mean? Give up on what?"
"Life. If you died, I wouldn't see a point in continuing with my life. This is why I'm so scared.I've never felt this way about someone, ever."
I saw the look in his eyes, as mine started to fill with tears. He knew I was serious, and as I turned my gaze, back to the fireplace, I sat there feeling the tears slide down my cheeks. My little droplets of sadness. I felt Bruce stand up and watched as he knelt down in front of me, with a little trouble. He took his hands in mine and kissed my fingers.
"Frankie.what you have just said, makes me believe even more that I have found my partner. I would be willing to die for you everyday, forever.if need be. I love you, more than anything, and if something happened to you, I wouldn't get over it. It would kill me as well."
I thought about what he said,
"I'm going to go for a walk. I need to think."
"Alright."
As I stood up, I found my way to the back door, which led to the grounds around the mansion. My mind was conflicted, but my heart told me that Bruce was a genuine guy, which seemed slim to find these days. As I walked down the marble steps, I saw that the clouds were dark, rain clouds I whispered to myself. The wind picked up, blowing open my robe, and as the black satin twisted in the breeze, I saw a recognizable shape. Wether is was my mind playing tricks on me or something mysterious, the shape looked like a bat. I guess that was a message from above. I listened to Alfred's advice and followed my heart.
I had been walking for a few minutes, and as I turned around to walk back towards the manor, a large gust of wind hit and brought with it freezing rain. I ran to get to the steps and into the mansion. Bruce opened the door for me. As I stepped in, semi soaked, I saw that he had a towel in his arms. While handing it to me he lightly laughed.
"Did you have a good walk?"
"I actually did. I got some thinking done."
"And what have you decided?"
I could tell by the way he said this, that he was worried. No doubt worried that I was going to leave him. I could see the sadness in his eyes, but when I started to speak I could piece by piece the joy coming back.
"Bruce I will stay with you as long as you try a little harder to not get hurt. I know that's a ridiculous thing to request, but I just don't want to loose you."
"That's not a ridiculous request. I guess I just have to hit a little harder, so the criminals stay down."
I smirked at his humor. While I dried my hair, we walked back to the fireplace. I sat on the carpet, a few feet from the flames. I started to feel the affects of the cold, and began to shiver. Bruce noticed, and snuggled closer, still wincing occasionally from his pain, but didn't seem to pay attention to anything, except getting me warm.
We sat there for about twenty minutes, when he finally spoke,
"Would you like to have dinner with me, tonight?"
"Sure, but I need to go back to my house, so I can changed."
"No problem, Alfred will drop you off."
"Okay."
When Alfred dropped my off at my house, I thanked him and he told me that Master Bruce would be picking me up at 7:00 PM. After getting in my house, I took off my robe and threw it into the washing machine, along with the rest of my clothes. I quickly walked in the buff to the shower. I got the water nice and hot, and felt the euphoric sensation of the water cleansing my skin. I used some of my garden rose shampoo/body wash and began to wash away all the dried sweat and rain. It wasn't long before I felt clean enough and shut the shower head off. I stepped out, grabbing my towel from the back of the door and wrapped it around my body. The feel of the cotton, touching my skin, sent shivers down my spine. I opened the door, walking down the hallway, and into my bedroom.
After a little deliberation, I decided on wearing my blood red boxer briefs, under a pair of black Bermuda shorts, and finished everything off with a classic grey v- neck tee. I had about an hour before Bruce was suppose to be here. I went into the bathroom, to brush my teeth and brush my hair. I decided to leave my hair down, letting it fall below my shoulders. I put some deodorant on, and finished brushing my teeth, when I heard my doorbell ring. I quickly ran to the door and peered through the peep hole.
I noticed that I was smiling as I opened the door and saw Bruce standing there with a single red rose. As he handed it to me, I looked at the half opened petals.
"Thank you, does this mean you love me?"
"That.and I respect you as well."
I smirked as I let Bruce come in so I could put the rose in some water. While I was filling a cup with water I could smell Bruce's scent, it was full of seductive masculinity. I set the cup with the rose on my table, and turned to see Bruce looking at my clothing.
"Is there something wrong.am I not dressed appropriately?"
"No.you look great. You look fantastic."
I felt my cheeks get hot, as I walked past him to get my wallet and keys.
"You left your hair down?"
"Yeah I wanted to do something different."
"I like it..so are you ready?'
"Yeah."
With that I turned off all the lights and locked the door as Bruce and I stepped onto the porch. When I turned to follow him down the steps, I noticed the car he was driving. It was a 63 chevy truck, nice glossy black, with chrome in every area possible. Bruce went to the passenger door and opened it for me, like usual.
While we were heading for the mansion, I scooted closer so that I could feel Bruce next to me. I laid my hand on his thigh and he did the same, and as we drove up the drive way, I saw Alfred packing a car.
"What's going on?"
"I gave Alfred the rest of the week off, and I'm taking a week off from work as well."
"Not your night job, right?"
"No.I can't do that."
"I would never ask you too. I know how important your job is."
Bruce turned off the ignition and we both climbed out of the cab, at the same time. I walked over to Alfred who was smiling when he saw me.
"Well I am off."
"Where are you going?"
"There is a bed n breakfast in the mountains that I want to try. It will be a change, being waited on. And I'm brings the last batch of your chocolates with me. Here, when you get a chance, this should cover the cost."
He handed me a fifty dollar bill, and before I could object, he was climbing into his 58 Aston Martin and speeding off. Bruce wrapped his arm around my waist, as we waved a temporary farewell to the world's best butler.
Right as I entered the mansion, my nose was filled with the aroma of what I believe Italy would smell like. Everything smelt so fresh and pungent. It was a mixture of basil and tomatoes. Bruce had me close my eyes and led me the rest of the way. He had me sit down on a soft chair and when he let me open my eyes, I couldn't believe what I saw. There were black candles with red and white roses all around the fireplace.
Bruce disappeared for a second, in the next room I could hear the sound of pots. Finally after a few moments he rounded the corner carrying a large tray of food. As he sat it down, I got a good look at the contents. A large bowl of salad, two dinner plates, a basket of bread and a pot of spaghetti with meat balls. I watched as Bruce pulled the silverware out of his pants pocket. As he handed me a plate, I watched as he was having trouble lifting his arm.
"I can serve you."
"You wouldn't mind, even though you're my guest?"
"Not at all."
So with that I quickly plated Bruce a large helping, and then plated myself some. As we were eating, I noticed the gleam in Bruce's eye, it was telling me something.but I wasn't sure what.
***Thank you all who emailed me. I will continue as soon as possible.