30Aug22 - Mrs. Bruce Wayne
Title: Mrs. Bruce Wayne
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Batman
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Word Count: 1681
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The characters of Batman belong to DC Comics, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Series: Expanding the Family Series: Expanding the Family, Arriving In Gotham, Getting Her M. R. S, and A Helping Hand
Notes: This is set after “A Helping Hand”. It’s not the full story I want to write, but I’m a bit pressed for time tonight, so it’s the best I can do. Maybe someday there will be more.
Summary: Buffy calls to tell the kids goodbye just before they head into the cavern by the high school. Bruce isn’t ready to let her go.
Mrs. Bruce Wayne
By Beriaearwen
“Did you call them?” Spike asked in the quite of the morning. It wasn’t dawn yet and they still had hours before they would begin their assault, one that only Buffy, Spike and Giles really seemed to understand the cost of, what it could cost them. Maybe Anya knew, she’d seen enough, but none of the others really seemed to understand that this could be their last day, their last breath.
“No,” Buffy said quietly. She had desperately needed comfort last night from someone who understood and, despite their problems, Spike did understand - not just about the upcoming battle or what made her tick, but why she married and how her opinion of her husband had changed during their calls. He joked he should have written her poetry and wooed her rather than fighting her. But he was there to comfort her as a friend, as she comforted him.
“You need to. At least to speak to the bit and the boy.”
Buffy sighed. “I hate saying goodbye.”
“’S not about you. It’s about them,” he reminded her. It’s what she had told the potentials who still had family last night.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice resigned, knowing he was right.
Spike glanced at the clock beside the bed. “Four thirty. Be seven thirty back East.”
With another sigh, Buffy pushed herself up so she was leaning against the headboard and held her hand out.
Spike rolled out of the bed and handed her the phone. “Going to grab a smoke,” he offered before leaving the room.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Bruce groaned as the phone rang and pulled his pillow over his head. He was trying to deny that he was waking up. The he heard two sets of feet pounding down the hallway shouting “I’ll get it” and knew any additional sleep was hopeless.
He smirked a moment later as he heard Alfred answer the phone in the hallway that Dawn and Dick had both been trying to get. He pushed himself upright, rubbing his face and trying to convince his eyes to open fully before standing to put on his robe.
He was headed toward his door when there was a soft knock and Alfred opened the door. His face expressed worry and concern. “Who is it, Alfred?” Bruce asked, suddenly more awake.
“Your wife called to talk to Miss Dawn and Master Richard. She said not to disturb you if you were sleeping, but Miss Dawn took the phone before she could say more to me,” Alfred supplied.
“That’s not usually enough to upset you.”
“There is a tone in her voice I recognized,” he said, meeting Bruce’s eyes. “I believe you should talk to her as well.”
Bruce nodded and walked past Alfred to go down the hall. Dawn was standing on the side of the hall, brow furrowed. Dick was currently babbling into the phone.
“Dawn?” he asked, catching Dick’s eyes and indicating he wanted to talk next.
She shook her head. “There’s something… Something’s not right there, but I don’t know what. She hasn’t sounded like that since… sometime and I can’t quite remember.”
“Don’t force it,” he recommended as Dick wrapped up his call and passed him the phone. “Buffy?” he asked.
“Bruce,” she greeted, her voice soft and caring. “We have a big day here and I just wanted to check in before hand. Wanted to be sure everyone was safe and sound.”
“We are,” he affirmed. “And we - I - miss you.” He heard Buffy’s breath catch on the other end.
“I miss you too. I know we were still mostly strangers when I left, but… as corny as it sounds, I feel like I’ve really gotten to know you during our phone calls.”
A soft chuckle escaped him. “I know the feeling. I have discovered that my wife is an amazing woman who I am very fortunate to have trapped into marriage.” He smiled as she laughed at his words.
“I wish we had more time,” she said softly, almost as if to herself. “I need to go, the potentials are waking up and need food and supervision, but, Bruce…”
“Yes?” he prompted when she was quite a little too long.
“I love you,” she said, her voice filled with love and tears.
Before he could overcome his shock and respond, she hung up the phone. He immediately tried to dial her number and the phone rang and rang and rang. He hung up and tried again. And again.
“Bruce!” Dawn cried.
He turned and saw her leaning against the wall, Dick with his arm wrapped around her waist as if the eight-year-old was trying to hold her up. She was pale and Bruce immediately went to her other side to help Dick. “Dawn, what is it?”
Tears filled her eyes as she met his and her chin wobbled slightly as she held back tears. “Goodbye,” she gasped out past her tears. “That tone in her voice. She called to say goodbye.”
Horror swept over Bruce as the realization of what Dawn was telling him registered. But he straightened his back and set his jaw. Glancing at Dick and seeing the horror on his face, Bruce drew them both into a tight hug. After a few moments when he felt them calm, he released them and turned back to his room. “Alfred,” he called.
“Yes, Master Bruce?” Alfred said, looking slightly shaken only to those who knew him well.
“Call the airport and then one out in California. I’m flying out and then need a chopper to get me to Sunnydale,” he instructed. “Have the flight plan waiting at the airport, I want to leave in under an hour.”
“Of course,” Alfred said, turning to stride down the hall, purpose in his step. Spotting the two youngsters, he commanded, “Come along, children. There is much to do.”
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Dawn, Dick and Alfred were sitting in the lounge, the younger two holding each other close as they had been most of the day. The television was on and showing one of the national networks. The shows themselves are ones none of the family would normally watch, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance.
Bruce had left shortly after Buffy’s call. It was a six hour flight to the West Coast and then from where he landed a forty minute helicopter flight to Sunnydale.
That was eight hours ago and they had heard nothing since then.
The breaking news banner flashed across the screen as the show that had been on blinked out and a newscaster appeared.
“Good evening. This just in. The town of Sunnydale, California suffered a catastrophic collapse today as a previously unreported fault line caused an extensive network of caves to collapse.
“There are reports from survivors that the majority of the town emptied in the days prior to the collapse.
“Casualty reports are indefinite at this time. We’ll keep you updated as information becomes available.”
The trio looked at each other. Dawn and Dick had wide, worried eyes which landed on Alfred. “I’m sure Master Bruce will be calling soon,” he soothed.
Less than a minute later, the phone rang. “Wayne residence,” Alfred greeted. “Ah, Master Bruce. Give us a minute to get to your office so we can use the speaker phone there.” Alfred felt the breeze of the younger two race past him and less than twenty seconds later, heard them pick up the extension in the office. He hung up his extension and made his way as swiftly as possible to the office.
“Are you all there?” Bruce was asking as Alfred arrived.
“We are now, Bruce,” Dawn assured. “How’s Buffy?”
Bruce let out a long, slightly shaky breath. “Serious but stable,” he stated.
“What?” Dick and Dawn asked at the same time, one in fear and shock, the other in worry.
“They… the battle…” Bruce trailed off and took a breath, blowing it out slowly. “During the battle against the first, Buffy was run through with a sword. I get there just after the town collapsed and had to immediately load up and bring her and others to the hospital. She wasn’t going to come, but I saw the blood and she collapsed into my arms when I hugged her. And…” He took another breath and released it. “She’s getting some blood and they finished repairing the damage. They’re saying weeks to recover, Giles estimates shorter.”
“Who…” Dawn began and then swallowed. “Did everyone?”
“They lost about half the potentials and Xander’s fiance,” Bruce reported.
“Anya,” Dawn whispered, tears running down her face.
“Yes,” Bruce said shortly. “I need to get back to Buffy. I… Alfred, you may want to alert the PR people. I was rather demanding when we arrived and not quiet about Buffy being my wife.”
“Are you sure she’ll be OK?” Dick asked, squeezing Dawn’s hand tightly.
“Yes,” Bruce said with absolute certainty. “We’ll be home as soon as we can, but there’s a lot to sort out here and with the Council. We also may need to put a spin a cover story for why Buffy was there and what she was doing.”
“I’ll get on it right away, Bruce,” Alfred said, leaving off the title. His emotions were too close to the surface for him to distance himself from his the man he thought of as his son.
“Thanks,” Bruce said softly. “I’ll call again when I have more news. Take care of each other,” he commanded.
“Take care of you and Buffy,” Dick commanded.
“Give her our love,” Dawn said, swallowing her tears.
“I will,” Bruce assured. There was a brief paused before he added, “I love the three of you too,” and hung up.
Alfred moved forward and placed a hand on the shoulder of both the younger people. “Let’s turn off the television and get some dinner. Then we can figure out how we can best help.”
The other two nodded and the family unit headed out.
Papers in Gotham the next day had headlines splashed across the front page, all of them calling out “Mrs. Bruce Wayne.”
End
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Batman
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Word Count: 1681
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The characters of Batman belong to DC Comics, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Series: Expanding the Family Series: Expanding the Family, Arriving In Gotham, Getting Her M. R. S, and A Helping Hand
Notes: This is set after “A Helping Hand”. It’s not the full story I want to write, but I’m a bit pressed for time tonight, so it’s the best I can do. Maybe someday there will be more.
Summary: Buffy calls to tell the kids goodbye just before they head into the cavern by the high school. Bruce isn’t ready to let her go.
Mrs. Bruce Wayne
By Beriaearwen
“Did you call them?” Spike asked in the quite of the morning. It wasn’t dawn yet and they still had hours before they would begin their assault, one that only Buffy, Spike and Giles really seemed to understand the cost of, what it could cost them. Maybe Anya knew, she’d seen enough, but none of the others really seemed to understand that this could be their last day, their last breath.
“No,” Buffy said quietly. She had desperately needed comfort last night from someone who understood and, despite their problems, Spike did understand - not just about the upcoming battle or what made her tick, but why she married and how her opinion of her husband had changed during their calls. He joked he should have written her poetry and wooed her rather than fighting her. But he was there to comfort her as a friend, as she comforted him.
“You need to. At least to speak to the bit and the boy.”
Buffy sighed. “I hate saying goodbye.”
“’S not about you. It’s about them,” he reminded her. It’s what she had told the potentials who still had family last night.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice resigned, knowing he was right.
Spike glanced at the clock beside the bed. “Four thirty. Be seven thirty back East.”
With another sigh, Buffy pushed herself up so she was leaning against the headboard and held her hand out.
Spike rolled out of the bed and handed her the phone. “Going to grab a smoke,” he offered before leaving the room.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Bruce groaned as the phone rang and pulled his pillow over his head. He was trying to deny that he was waking up. The he heard two sets of feet pounding down the hallway shouting “I’ll get it” and knew any additional sleep was hopeless.
He smirked a moment later as he heard Alfred answer the phone in the hallway that Dawn and Dick had both been trying to get. He pushed himself upright, rubbing his face and trying to convince his eyes to open fully before standing to put on his robe.
He was headed toward his door when there was a soft knock and Alfred opened the door. His face expressed worry and concern. “Who is it, Alfred?” Bruce asked, suddenly more awake.
“Your wife called to talk to Miss Dawn and Master Richard. She said not to disturb you if you were sleeping, but Miss Dawn took the phone before she could say more to me,” Alfred supplied.
“That’s not usually enough to upset you.”
“There is a tone in her voice I recognized,” he said, meeting Bruce’s eyes. “I believe you should talk to her as well.”
Bruce nodded and walked past Alfred to go down the hall. Dawn was standing on the side of the hall, brow furrowed. Dick was currently babbling into the phone.
“Dawn?” he asked, catching Dick’s eyes and indicating he wanted to talk next.
She shook her head. “There’s something… Something’s not right there, but I don’t know what. She hasn’t sounded like that since… sometime and I can’t quite remember.”
“Don’t force it,” he recommended as Dick wrapped up his call and passed him the phone. “Buffy?” he asked.
“Bruce,” she greeted, her voice soft and caring. “We have a big day here and I just wanted to check in before hand. Wanted to be sure everyone was safe and sound.”
“We are,” he affirmed. “And we - I - miss you.” He heard Buffy’s breath catch on the other end.
“I miss you too. I know we were still mostly strangers when I left, but… as corny as it sounds, I feel like I’ve really gotten to know you during our phone calls.”
A soft chuckle escaped him. “I know the feeling. I have discovered that my wife is an amazing woman who I am very fortunate to have trapped into marriage.” He smiled as she laughed at his words.
“I wish we had more time,” she said softly, almost as if to herself. “I need to go, the potentials are waking up and need food and supervision, but, Bruce…”
“Yes?” he prompted when she was quite a little too long.
“I love you,” she said, her voice filled with love and tears.
Before he could overcome his shock and respond, she hung up the phone. He immediately tried to dial her number and the phone rang and rang and rang. He hung up and tried again. And again.
“Bruce!” Dawn cried.
He turned and saw her leaning against the wall, Dick with his arm wrapped around her waist as if the eight-year-old was trying to hold her up. She was pale and Bruce immediately went to her other side to help Dick. “Dawn, what is it?”
Tears filled her eyes as she met his and her chin wobbled slightly as she held back tears. “Goodbye,” she gasped out past her tears. “That tone in her voice. She called to say goodbye.”
Horror swept over Bruce as the realization of what Dawn was telling him registered. But he straightened his back and set his jaw. Glancing at Dick and seeing the horror on his face, Bruce drew them both into a tight hug. After a few moments when he felt them calm, he released them and turned back to his room. “Alfred,” he called.
“Yes, Master Bruce?” Alfred said, looking slightly shaken only to those who knew him well.
“Call the airport and then one out in California. I’m flying out and then need a chopper to get me to Sunnydale,” he instructed. “Have the flight plan waiting at the airport, I want to leave in under an hour.”
“Of course,” Alfred said, turning to stride down the hall, purpose in his step. Spotting the two youngsters, he commanded, “Come along, children. There is much to do.”
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Dawn, Dick and Alfred were sitting in the lounge, the younger two holding each other close as they had been most of the day. The television was on and showing one of the national networks. The shows themselves are ones none of the family would normally watch, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance.
Bruce had left shortly after Buffy’s call. It was a six hour flight to the West Coast and then from where he landed a forty minute helicopter flight to Sunnydale.
That was eight hours ago and they had heard nothing since then.
The breaking news banner flashed across the screen as the show that had been on blinked out and a newscaster appeared.
“Good evening. This just in. The town of Sunnydale, California suffered a catastrophic collapse today as a previously unreported fault line caused an extensive network of caves to collapse.
“There are reports from survivors that the majority of the town emptied in the days prior to the collapse.
“Casualty reports are indefinite at this time. We’ll keep you updated as information becomes available.”
The trio looked at each other. Dawn and Dick had wide, worried eyes which landed on Alfred. “I’m sure Master Bruce will be calling soon,” he soothed.
Less than a minute later, the phone rang. “Wayne residence,” Alfred greeted. “Ah, Master Bruce. Give us a minute to get to your office so we can use the speaker phone there.” Alfred felt the breeze of the younger two race past him and less than twenty seconds later, heard them pick up the extension in the office. He hung up his extension and made his way as swiftly as possible to the office.
“Are you all there?” Bruce was asking as Alfred arrived.
“We are now, Bruce,” Dawn assured. “How’s Buffy?”
Bruce let out a long, slightly shaky breath. “Serious but stable,” he stated.
“What?” Dick and Dawn asked at the same time, one in fear and shock, the other in worry.
“They… the battle…” Bruce trailed off and took a breath, blowing it out slowly. “During the battle against the first, Buffy was run through with a sword. I get there just after the town collapsed and had to immediately load up and bring her and others to the hospital. She wasn’t going to come, but I saw the blood and she collapsed into my arms when I hugged her. And…” He took another breath and released it. “She’s getting some blood and they finished repairing the damage. They’re saying weeks to recover, Giles estimates shorter.”
“Who…” Dawn began and then swallowed. “Did everyone?”
“They lost about half the potentials and Xander’s fiance,” Bruce reported.
“Anya,” Dawn whispered, tears running down her face.
“Yes,” Bruce said shortly. “I need to get back to Buffy. I… Alfred, you may want to alert the PR people. I was rather demanding when we arrived and not quiet about Buffy being my wife.”
“Are you sure she’ll be OK?” Dick asked, squeezing Dawn’s hand tightly.
“Yes,” Bruce said with absolute certainty. “We’ll be home as soon as we can, but there’s a lot to sort out here and with the Council. We also may need to put a spin a cover story for why Buffy was there and what she was doing.”
“I’ll get on it right away, Bruce,” Alfred said, leaving off the title. His emotions were too close to the surface for him to distance himself from his the man he thought of as his son.
“Thanks,” Bruce said softly. “I’ll call again when I have more news. Take care of each other,” he commanded.
“Take care of you and Buffy,” Dick commanded.
“Give her our love,” Dawn said, swallowing her tears.
“I will,” Bruce assured. There was a brief paused before he added, “I love the three of you too,” and hung up.
Alfred moved forward and placed a hand on the shoulder of both the younger people. “Let’s turn off the television and get some dinner. Then we can figure out how we can best help.”
The other two nodded and the family unit headed out.
Papers in Gotham the next day had headlines splashed across the front page, all of them calling out “Mrs. Bruce Wayne.”
End