Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 07:30:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Return of a Real Dark Knight 28

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 28 Broken

	Jessica took everyone back to the cave while I set out to look for
Lance.  I was paranoid after finding out he was going out.  It felt like it
was a big secret, and, after my feelings at seeing him dancing, I anxious.
	After asking Jessica where they went, I set out to the club to look
for them.  The place was jumping when I got there, which didn't surprise
me.  No matter the year or decade, you will find people who enjoy going out
and dancing.  And tonight was no exception.
	Deciding not to create any hysteria, I changed into normal clothes
and snuck through the back.  I didn't want to risk Lance seeing me as I
didn't want him to think I was checking up on him.  It would be the truth
but I'd rather he not know.  There was no need for him to know.
	I walked through the hallway toward the booming music.  There were
a few people whom I passed in the hall, but no one said anything to me or
bothered me.  I opened the door to the dance floor and saw people almost
from wall to wall dancing and grinding and kissing and such with their
partners.  I slipped into the crowd and mingled among them.
	'Where are you, Lance?' I said in my head.  'What are you up to?'
	Halfway around the crowd, I noticed Justin sitting at a table.
Joey and Chris joined him, but Lance was nowhere to be found.  I hid in the
shadows and got closer to hear their conversation, hoping one of them would
indicate to me why Lance was here.
	"Do any of you know what Lance is doing upstairs?" Chris asked.
	The guys shook there head.  "From what he's said," Justin
continued, "he's come here off and on for a while."
	'Why didn't he tell me?' I thought.  'I understand if he needs to
get out.  Believe me; I know what its like to feel trapped.  The mask I
wear keeps me trapped some times.'
	I turned and went up the stairs to the second floor.  There were a
lot of rooms around the perimeter of the balcony.  Tables and clubbers sat
and drank, carrying on conversations that could be anything but private
with the volume of the music carrying the sounds to the moon.  I looked
around and couldn't find Lance anywhere at the tables.
	'Maybe he's in one of the rooms.  God, I hope he isn't doing drugs
or something.'
	I went to each room and listened for the sound of Lance's voice.
Several of the rooms had private parties going on.  Students who were
graduating from college were here as well as students graduating from high
school.  But Lance's voice wasn't among them.
	I saw a little hallway off to the side and went down it.  As I
neared, I heard voices of men laughing and joking.  The sound of chains
rattling was in the air as well.
	'This might be more than I bargained for,' I thought as my mind
went to the possibility of somebody being hurt.
	Approaching the door, I reached up and grasped the handle.
Silently, I turned the doorknob and the door opened a crack.  I stopped as
it sounded like the door creaked.  The laughter had nearly silenced, too,
and I knew the men inside heard the door.  I waited, still, until the
sounds from inside resumed.
	"Oh, fuck," I heard a familiar voice say.
	"Do you like that?" another voice asked.
	"Oh, God, yes!  You're so big!"
	My heart dropped.  I opened the door all the way and looked in to
find Lance in a harness as one of many Leather men shoved his long, thick
cock up Lance's ass.  My jaw dropped and my heartbeat accelerated beyond
counting.
	"You're making me cum!" Lance yelled out as his cock shot all over
his chest and stomach.
	"Looks like we got someone else to join us," a voice said.
	"Excellent," Lance said as he came down off his orgasm and looked
my way.
	Our eyes locked and the look of ecstasy on his face dissolved and
his face flushed.  My eyes welled up with tears and my hand went to my
mouth.
	"Oh, God," Lance said; only this time it wasn't in pleasure.
"Eric."
	I turned to leave but the nearest man grabbed my arm.  "You want us
to fuck you next?" the man asked.
	I jerked away from him.  He tried to grab me again but my hand
darted out and I grabbed him by the throat.  Without a word, I lifted him
off the ground and threw him so hard into the wall that he bust through
into the party room next door.
	"Get me out of here!" Lance ordered.
	"We're not done," one exclaimed.
	"I want out!  That's my husband!"
	"I said," a man stated as he grabbed Lance by the top of his head.
"We're not done fucking your hot, twink ass!"
	I was angry.  But I still loved Lance.  I turned around and went
back into the room.  Without a word, I walked over the guy who grabbed
Lance by the back of the head.  I turned his head toward me and punched him
as hard as I could.  His nose burst and blood poured down his face where
his nose used to be.  He would definitely need reconstructive surgery.
	Lance looked up at me and whispered my name.  I ignored him as I
unchained his hands.  Then I walked back to the door.
	"Eric!  Please!  Let me explain!"
	I ignored him as I walked down the stairs.  Justin, Joey and Chris
saw me and Justin jumped up.
	"Hey, Eric.  What are you doing here?"
	I ignored him as I walked out the front door.
	"Oh my God, something happened," Justin said as he and the guys
turned to go up the stairs.
	Lance came out of the hallway buttoning up his pants when he saw
the guys looking at him.
	"Oh God," Joey whispered.

	I walked down the street in limbo.  My mind swirled in my head but
I couldn't get control of the thoughts and questions.  How long had he been
doing this?  What happened to make him want to do this?  Doesn't he love
me?  Aren't I good enough for him?  What happened?  Did I do something
wrong?  The questions kept coming and coming, and I couldn't shut them out.
Did the kids know?  What was Lance thinking?  Why, why, why?
	The sky opened and the rain fell.  I didn't care.  Nothing mattered
any more.  My heart had been ripped out by the man I love, and I didn't
know why.  I loved him.  No matter what happened, I loved him.  But the
hurt I felt at seeing him with someone else.  And I didn't know why.  Did I
do something to make him do this?  Was I not attentive enough?  Did I
ignore signs that he didn't love me?  Did I push him to this by my life as
Batman?  He knew, though.  He knew going into the relationship what I did.
He seemed fine with it for years.  How could things have changed overnight?

I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh I want to hold you high And
steal your pain away I keep your photograph And I know it serves me well I
want to hold you high And steal your pain.

'Coz I'm broken When I'm lonesome And I don't feel right when you're gone
away.

You gotta win, you don't feel me anymore.

	Lance ran out into the night searching for Eric, his husband, the
one he loved.  To anyone witnessing what happened, they would have good
question to doubt his feelings for Eric.  They could easily say that if he
loved Eric, he wouldn't have done what he did.  How could anyone do what he
did to the one person they loved most in the world?
	'Eric, if I could only talk to you and explain to you why it
happened.  I wish you hadn't have seen me like that.  I didn't want you to
find out like that.  I wanted to be able to talk to you and tell you
everything that I've been feeling the past few years.  I wanted to tell you
my concerns, my feelings, my fears.  But things kept happening that kept us
from having that time to talk.  We had the children.  We had the Center.
You had the mask.  There wasn't much time for us.
	'But now you know.  I didn't want you to find out that way, but you
know.  We can talk about things now.  We can work through everything.  And
then, maybe, we can be all right.  I love you, Eric.  You're everything to
me.  And I don't want us to not be together.'

The worst is over now And we can breathe again I wanna hold you high And
steal my pain away There is so much left to learn And no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high And steal your pain.

'Coz Im broken When I'm open And I don't feel like that I'm strong enough
'Coz I'm broken When I'm lonesome And I don't feel right when you're gone
away

'Coz I'm broken, when I'm lonesome And I don't feel right when you're gone.

You gotta win, you don't feel me anymore

	Suddenly, my head started pounding like I never felt before.  Then
it subsided.  I rubbed my temples and continued on.  The pain hit me again
and I clutched at my head.
	"What the..." I mumbled.
	The pain was intense and I couldn't figure out its origins.  I
tried to shake it off, rub my temples, and massage the palm of my hand
hoping the pressure points would work.  But nothing did.

	Across the state, the country in Dayton, Ohio in the legendary
Hangar 13, a figure deep beneath the surface building stood shackled to a
machine which monitored its vital signs.  Two scientists monitored the
computers while a lone military police officer stood guard at the only way
in or out.
	"Something is going on," one scientist said.  "The creature is
doing something beyond basic mental processes.  Look at the spike."
	"What should we do?"
	"If it doesn't go too high, we're just supposed to watch.  However,
if it..."
	The computers beeped interrupting the scientist's thoughts.
	"If it does that, we inject it with a sedative."
	The scientist jumped up and grabbed a needle and a bottle.  Putting
the needle in, he filled the syringe up with the fluid and ran over to the
green man.  The creature squirmed, hoping to keep the scientist from
injecting the fluid into its skin again, but it was to no avail.  The
scientist jabbed the needle into the creature and pushed the fluid into the
creature's body.  The green man's struggle quickly subsided and he became
relaxed.
	"Whew!" both scientists exhaled.
	They turned to see the MP Officer standing with her gun at the
ready.  If the creature escaped, her orders were to shoot to kill, no
exceptions.
	"Why did you do that?" the younger scientist asked.
	"I forgot, you're new down here.  We aren't sure of this creature's
origins.  At least, we haven't been told by anyone.  It was brought in a
few weeks ago, right after the secret manned-flight to Mars returned.
That's where many of us think it came from, Mars.  A few others, those who
are very spiritual in their beliefs, believe it is some form of demon that
we happened to find around the same time as the shuttle's return.
Regardless of its origins, it is something we aren't familiar with.  Our
job here is to study it, learn as much as we can, and destroy it if it
becomes hostile."
	"I wouldn't blame it for being hostile.  We're keeping it
prisoner."
	"It's an animal.  It has no sentience."
	"With brain waves like that, it may be a higher being than us.
Nobody can use that much of their brain."

To Be Continued...

What do you think of what happened?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.