Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2004 08:01:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com> Subject: Return of a Real Dark Knight 7 Disclaimer: This story is fiction. There are two celebrities who will appear from time-to-time. The other characters are fictitious. Any similarities to persons living or dead are completely coincidental. In this story, I have continued the adventures of Batman, my Batman, which his story first began in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight" in the Boy Band section of this archive. It spanned 250 chapters. You will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. I do hope that you enjoy it!!! Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. Chapter 7 Revealing I arrived at the Center and dropped Dinah off. April met me at the door and helped me get her inside. We took her to the infirmary where the nurse, Ron, came in to check on her. "She seems to be in shock," he said as he checked her vitals and pupil dilation. "What happened?" "I think she's a mutant," I said. Ron looked up at me. "Where did you find her?" "She was in a bar. Most of the guys were treating her rather horribly, like a sex object. Her powers manifested and she fainted afterward." Ron nodded. "We'll keep her here for the night. Did you want to stay or get home?" "For now I'll stay. I'm going back to my room to call Lance. Let me know if she wakes." Ron nodded and I left. When I got to the room, I closed the door. I turned on the laptop computer. "Oracle," I said and the connection was made to the supercomputer below. "Take dictation," I replied and spoke a quick message to Jayce and the Watchers' Council and sent it along. Picking up the phone, I dialed my house. After two rings, Preston picked it up. "Hello?" "Hey, big guy," I said. "Is Pop there?" "Yeah, hold on, dad." I heard Preston's faint voice call out for Lance and then the phone pick up. "Hello?" "Hey, sexy." "Hey, hot stuff." "Is Jessica and Sarah back yet?" "No, not yet. They should be back soon. How did things go with you?" "I found her. You wouldn't believe where, though. The people were horrible to her." "Is she there with you?" "Yeah. It also turns out she's a mutant. When her power manifested, it freaked her out. She's here in shock. Ron is watching her." "Are you coming home or are you staying there?" "I think I'll stay here for a while, any way, just to see if she wakes up. She will need reassurance that she's not going crazy." "I think Jessica and Sarah just got back. Hold on a second." The muffled sound of the front door opening came over the phone. There were voices of greeting and then Lance got back on. "Yeah, it's them." "Let me talk to Jessica." "Hold on a second." After a few minutes, I heard a click. "We're in the den," Lance said, "on speakerphone." "Hi, Eric." "Hi, Jess. So how did the evening go?" "It went well." "And?" "And she's a Slayer." My heart both soared and sank. Having a calling like a Slayer was very special. It also meant her life would be in danger every night. How could someone feel such conflicting emotions? Maybe I should contact Mike, a.k.a. Two-Face, in prison and ask him. "How did she take it?" Lance asked. "She was freaked at first. I explained to her that you two knew about Slayers and that I was one. I think it would benefit her to get in on everything. She needs to know. It might give her some comfort." "Maybe," I said, "but it might also really freak her out if she finds out there is this secret life that no one told her about." "We can explain it to her, Eric," Lance said. "I think she would be okay with it if we told her why it was kept from her." "I agree," Justin replied. I didn't know he was in the room with them. I took a few deep breaths. "Can I speak to Lance alone?" "Sure," Jessica said. The door opened and closed and the hum of the speakerphone turned off. "I'm alone," he said. "What do you think?" I asked him. "It's a tough call. Neither of us can predict exactly how she will respond to everything. Regardless, we have to make it clear that we love her and her interests are always what we are looking out for." A knock came at the door. "Hold on a second," I said putting the receiver to my chest. "Come in!" The door opened and Ron came in. "She's awake and asking for you." "Tell her I'll be right there." Once Ron closed the door, I put the phone to my ear. "Okay. Let's tell her everything. Tonight. Can you bring her here?" "Are you sure you want to do this tonight?" "I'm going to show the other Slayer. Ron said she's awake and asking for me. I'd rather show them both. Maybe the two girls will accept everything easier if they are going through it with someone." "Okay," he said. "What do I tell Preston?" "Damn, I hate leaving him out of the loop like this. I don't want him to feel left out." "Maybe I should bring him, too." I hesitated. "Okay. We tell them both. We don't want either one left out. If Sarah is going to know, Preston needs to know as well." "Okay. We'll be there soon." "Love you," I said. "Love you, too," he replied, and hung up the phone. After putting the receiver down, I left the room and headed to Dinah's room. I opened the door and she turned to me. "Hello." "Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?" "After I went through all this shit, you ask me how I'm feeling?" "Angry, scared, frustrated, alone. Am I hitting any of the right ones?" "All of the above," she said unfolding her arms and walking over to the bed. "Have a seat," I stated. "We need to talk." "Damn right we need to talk," Dinah said hopping upon the bed. "How did you know about me? My strength and that...that...cry?" "I knew about your strength just a short while before coming to see you. Your strength comes from a mystical force. You have been chosen, Dinah, to hunt the vampire." "What?" she said looking at me incredulously. "Vampires? Are you sure I'm the patient here?" I chuckled. "I understand your disbelief. Believe me that will be remedied in a short while. I thought I went crazy myself when I saw my first vampire." "Are you one of these vampire hunters, too?" "Not like you, no. But I do hunt vampires. You are what are known as a Vampire Slayer. Slayers are only girls. Not sure why on that, although if you ask some Slayers, they would be the first to say it is because girls are better at it. And after seeing all the Vampire Slayers I have, I wouldn't debate that idea myself. "I am like you in another way. Your, cry as you call it, is a mutant trait. I am a mutant, too." "No way," she said shaking her head and hopping off the table. "There ain't no way in hell I'm a mutant." "You saw what your powers did, Dinah. You are a mutant. And with your strength, you are also a Vampire Slayer." "How did you know where to find me?" "I was contacted by a group of men and women in England that call themselves the Watchers' Council. These Watchers know of vampires and are the appointed group to oversee the training of Vampire Slayers." "Are you a Watcher?" "No. Like I said, I do hunt vampires." "How?" "In a few minutes, I will explain everything to you." Lance, Sarah, and Preston pulled up in front of the Center. "Why are we here?" Sarah asked. "Your dad wants us here." "What is going on?" Preston asked very upset. "Why do I feel like I'm not being told everything?" "Because you're not," Lance stated succinctly. "Because tonight your father and I decided to tell you everything." "Why now?" Preston asked wearily. "Is it because of Sarah and vampires?" Lance turned and looked at Preston shocked. He was speechless for a moment. 'How did he know about vampires?' he thought. Without answering him, Lance got out. Preston and Sarah followed suit and they entered the Center. "Hi," April said a bit surprised. "What brings all of you here?" "Eric," Lance said. "There was something he needed to tell us." April couldn't understand what it was but let them on their way. A knock came at the door and I opened it. Lance, Preston and finally Sarah entered. I hugged Preston and then Sarah. "Who are these people?" Dinah asked. "This is my daughter Sarah and my son Preston. And this is Lance, my husband." "Nice to meet you." "What's going on?" Preston whispered to me impatiently. I turned to him and smiled. Then I put my hand on the back of his head and kissed him on the cheek. "You're about to find out." Then I turned to address everyone. "Two of you found out something very special about yourselves tonight. What you found out has opened the door to a brand new, and frightening, world. But I'm here to tell you that it isn't as frightening as it seems. With entering this world, you are also able to fight against the horrible things. And I will show you how. Please, follow me." I led everyone out the door with Lance bringing up the rear. We entered the bedroom and locked the door behind us. Then, I moved the dresser away and revealed the trapdoor. "What the..." Preston said. I didn't answer as I opened the trapdoor and descended into the darkness. "Where does that go?" Preston asked as Dinah entered behind me. "To something we felt you weren't ready for," Lance said. "But now you are." He placed his hand reassuringly on Preston's shoulder. Sarah followed behind Dinah, Preston behind his sister, and Lance behind Preston closing the door after him. I got down to the cave level and stepped away from the ladder. Only a small light shown near the ladder giving a small range of visibility. After everyone was at the bottom, I cleared my throat. "You are now at the center of a base of operations that has existed for fifteen years in a battle against evil, both natural and supernatural, human, super human, and sub-human." I turned and said, "Oracle, lights." The computer whirred to life and the lights came up all over the cave shedding light on several obvious symbols, the 'mobile, the closet with the suit, and the computer. Everyone looked around with awe as Lance looked over at me and smiled. "What's this about?" Dinah asked. "You're standing in my headquarters," I said. All eyes turned to me. "You mean..." "I'm Batman." Preston and Sarah's jaws dropped to their knees. Dinah smiled. "Wicked cool," she said. "Why didn't you tell us this before?" Preston asked. "Your father and I didn't want to expose you to a world where you would be threatened." "But now it's okay?" he asked. "Something has come up which places your sister into this world. I didn't want to leave you out." "She's a Vampire Slayer," Preston stated. "How did you know?" Sarah asked. "I was watching. I saw what happened at the party the other night. I saw the look on the guy's face. I knew something was going on. That's why I asked to borrow those DVD's. "I have a confession to make myself. I had been suspicious for a while now about what you've been doing, dad. The late nights that were the same nights Batman thwarted something. Granted the newspapers and broadcasts didn't say it was Batman. I don't think they believe. But criminals getting caught, people being saved from God-knows-what, it all made a sense that didn't. "The other night, after all of us went to bed. I couldn't sleep. Then I heard you up and went downstairs. I couldn't find you so I checked the basement. I saw the door open to your little computer room. Putting that with the late nights, I figured you were doing something, leading another life. It wasn't until the computer thing and then the way you responded to the attack at the party that I thought it was actually something good." "What do you mean by that?" I asked. "Well, for a while, I thought you were cheating on Pop." "Oh," I said walking over and hugging Preston, who started to tear up. "I don't know what I would have done if it would have been true that you were cheating on him." "That is something you don't ever have to worry about. Your father and I love each other." "Hear, hear," Lance said walking over and putting his arm around me. "I have something else to tell you," Preston said. "I think it may make me an asset to whatever is you do." "What's that?" I asked him. "I think I'm a mutant." "Really?" I asked. "What do you mean?" "I remember things," he said. "Lots of things, even things that I don't focus on. Like when I went to the library. I remembered hearing about Batman briefly once or twice and that he might have been around for fifteen years. So I went to the library to check on it. I checked all the archived newspapers and found out that he first showed up around fifteen years ago." "I don't remember that ever being said," I replied. "It was seven years ago that you said it to Uncle Justin. You were talking about how time moves fast." "How can you remember something so clear from seven years ago, a conversation that wasn't directed toward you?" "That's why I think I'm a mutant. I can remember details so clearly, and not just words. But where things have been positioned, moves basketball players and football players have made to help them win the Superbowl, all kinds of stuff. It's more than a photographic memory. I could draw you the details of the living room layout from the age of seven." "Whoa," I said. "It looks like we have a full family of talented people." "Ahem," a voice said from behind. We turned, forgetting Dinah was in the cave with us. "So, when do you prove all this to me about vampires?" she asked with a smile. To Be Continued... So now everyone knows that is in the family about Eric's secret. And all of them, as Eric said, have their own unique talent. Sarah is a Vampire Slayer and Preston is a mutant. How do you think this will work for the family, though? I'd love to hear your reactions to this.