Helping Hand
Title: Helping Hand
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Batman
Characters: Buffy, Bruce, Xander
Rating: suitable for people over 13
Word Count: 1938
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.
Related stories: Expanding The Family and Getting Her M. R. S.
Notes: Need to find time to reply to everyone's responses. Thank you for them. This is not my native genre, but bits of this story have been sticking in my head for months, so, I'm writing them. This bit happens further down the road, after Buffy revealed she was the Slayer, Bruce accepted it was possible, they got married and Buffy returned to Sunnydale because of the threat, leaving Dawn and Dick with Bruce and Alfred.
Bruce sat at his desk, waiting. A small smile was on his face that he couldn't even explain to himself, but there was a feeling of contentment that had first started when he took Dick as his ward. He had acted, initially, out of sympathy for the boy, knowing what it was to lose watch your parents die at that age. It hadn't taken long for the boy to break through his emotional walls and find his place there.
Despite what he frequently told himself, every now and then Bruce could be honest enough to admit that he fought Buffy so hard to keep Dick because the boy meant so much.
Now, Dick was his more securely than he could have hoped and, thanks to Buffy, adoption proceedings had already begun to make Dick theirs.
The deal he had struck with Buffy had seemed so simple and clean cut. They would both be going in knowing that it was a business deal. Bruce hadn't been heartbroken when Buffy had to head back to Sunnydale to fight something she couldn't define, he had simply insisted she stay in touch and tell him if she needed help. She had warned him she would call every night to speak to Dawn and Dick and all she needed from him was for him to keep them safe in Gotham.
He'd almost laughed at that. No one is ever safe in Gotham, not entirely, but he understood what she meant and he was doing his best. Well, Alfred was doing much more than he was, but they were working on it together.
Speaking of Alfred, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was teaching Dawn while Batman and Robin were on patrol.
After a short but heated argument between the sisters, Dawn had agreed that she would not go out to fight either crime or the supernatural in Gotham. Buffy had somehow extracted a promise that Dawn would learn everything she could to support them because that would keep them safe.
The girl, his ward, had shown a surprising intellect and had quickly picked up on the detective work side of things. Alfred had taken her under his wing and seemed quite fond of her.
He was drawn from his thoughts as the phone rang. “Hello?” he asked. He knew it was Buffy, but wanted to give a pleasant greeting since she complained about how he normally answered the phone.
“Bruce!”
“Hi Buffy. How are things out West?”
“Ugh. Busy and crowded. How are things out East?”
“Not so crowded, but it's Dick and Dawn.”
“Ah. I understand.”
“Not sure you truly do,” he replied with a laugh. “You need to be here and experience it for yourself.” He realized he really meant that, but pushed it aside. “Dawn had her testing for school and Dick re-tested.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Despite having skipped a grade last year, Dick, now that he is more emotionally recovered and based on the grades he received in his partial year last school year, will be skipping a grade again.”
“So unfair,” Buffy complained, her pout evident in her voice. “Why couldn't I have been smart enough to skip some grades and get out early.”
“From what Dawn says it probably had something to do with cheerleading and French.”
“She may not be wrong.”
“Cheerleading I can see. And given the scholarships available, not an unheard of way to go to college. But what's up with French.”
“It's un-slayable evil and should be banned from all school, no, from the whole planet!”
Bruce laughed at that. “It's not so bad,” he deflected.
“Oh yes, yes it is.”
“You'll have to explain that to me.”
“Someday. How did Dawnie do?”
“Well, it turns out that she has the ability to skip a grade, but based on her attendance last year, she will be in the correct grade, but AP and Honors classes.”
“Wow. Better than I thought,” Buffy admitted. “It's good that she'll be putting that big brain of hers to use.”
“She also let a few other things slip and I did a little research,” Bruce admitted, knowing he was treading on thin ground.
“Oh?”
“Dawn's not the only Summer's sister with a big brain, apparently.” He heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone. “I know you don't think much of your intellect and, from what Dawn mentioned, have never been encouraged academically, but, Buffy, I think you really should give college another try. If sitting in classes doesn't work for you for whatever reason, maybe we can try on-line, but...”
“It's not a good time for this, Bruce.”
“There's never a good time.”
“No, I mean now is not a good time. We... we have some leads on what we might be fighting.”
Worry seized his gut and his mouth turned dry as he asked, “What?”
“It calls itself The First Evil, the one from which all other evil springs. And you know the serial killer you were looking into that was headed toward Gotham.”
“Yes.”
“His name is Caleb. He is the high priest or something of the First.”
A loud thumping noise on the other end of the line caused Bruce's brow to furrow. “What was that?”
“Hold on,” Buffy said into the phone.
Bruce waited trying to make out the sounds, but Buffy had covered the receiver with her hand. It was frustrating him to know she was in danger and there was nothing he could do. The only reason he wasn't out there now was that he'd given Buffy his word he would keep the kids safe here and not just leave it to Alfred. He only had to wait a moment before she came back on the line with an audible sight. “What happened?” he asked, his concern evident.
“Three more girls just showed up and I've got to find room and food for them. Casa Summers is not exactly Wayne manor.”
“Are there larger places available?”
“Sure, but none of them are home. Only someone who considers the house their home can let vampires and other things into the house.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you can magically make my house bigger.”
He winced as he heard a crash on the other end.
“And that's my cue to go. Take care. I'll call tomorrow.”
Before he could respond, she had hung up, ending the connection.
Bruce sat at still for a few minutes, frustrated that there was little he could do from three thousand miles away. With a sigh, he reached his hand out to place the phone on his desk when his eye caught the wedding band on his finger.
An idea sparked in his mind and a smile crept across his face. “Maybe not magic,” he murmured, turning toward his laptop, “but I'm pretty sure I can do something.”
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Buffy sighed as she made the turn onto Revello Drive. Grocery shopping had never been her favorite type of shopping, and with far too many people in far too small a space, she was even less a fan. At least she didn't have to do the cooking as well. One deliberately Dawn-esque meal had gotten her out of the horror of that duty.
As she made her way down the road, the number of additional vehicles drew her attention.
Slowing as she moved further down the road, she spotted the construction crews at what looked like the neighbor's house. Before she could get much further, she spotted Xander waving an arm at her.
Pulling to a stop several houses away from hers, she rolled down the window as her friend approached. “What's the what?”
Xander looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “I could be asking you the same thing, Mrs. Bruce Wayne.”
Buffy started. “Uh... I...”
“Left a few things out about your trip out East to see your cousin and leave Dawnie with him?”
Amusement danced in her friend's eyes and eased some of her worry. “Its... complicated?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Telling,” Buffy replied more firmly before her shoulder's slumped. Turning her attention to the construction she asked, “What's going on?”
“Well... it appears you presented your hubby with a problem that he felt he could fix.”
“Huh? And how do you know?”
“He called.”
Buffy's brows shot up in surprise. “He called?”
“Yep. Wanted to give you a heads up, but found out you were out grocery shopping. Which reminds me, he said, 'Tell her she has that card for a reason and she is to use it.' So, what cared is it?” Xander asked curiously.
Buffy cringed slightly as he recited the message. It was on point of contention between them that Buffy knew she was going to lose, but just couldn't get past yet. With a sigh, she informed, “When we married, he made all of our accounts joint accounts for as long as we're together.”
“Wait. he... Buffy's he's like a billionaire. And he... You...”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. That's...”
“Yeah.” The two sat there contemplating the reality of having access to that kind of money. It had been a daydream before, but nothing they thought could be a reality. Shaking herself, Buffy prompted, “The construction?”
“Oh,” Xander said, eying his friend carefully. “ Bruce said, 'It may not be your kind of magic, but it should do the trick'. Any idea what he means? Something about your conversation last night.”
Buffy blinked at him for several seconds, face black with surprise. “I told him that we needed more room, but that we couldn't really move since the house needed to be owned by the person and thought as a home.”
Xander tilted his head to the side for a second in thought before nodding. “That would explain it,” he stated.
“Explain what?”
“Apparently, you now own the empty houses on either side of yours and has had a designer work on how to connect them to your house to expand it.”
“What?”
“It's actually really cool and very impressive. The work crew he hired are also really good and efficient, but that might just be because they want out of here before dark.”
“But...”
Xander's face softened. “Buff, whatever else Bruce Wayne may be, he is a problem solver. The fact he's in love with you makes it even more imperative for him to solve your problems and ensure your comfort.”
“He's not... we're not...” she cut herself off when she saw Xander's soft, knowing smile. “You only talked to him once on the phone, how...?”
His smile widened as he shrugged. “It's pretty obvious really, but, back to the point. By the time they leave tonight, at least one of the wings to the house on the right will be complete enough to make that qualify as your house, you'll just need to go into it and check it out. The more 'yours' you can make it the stronger the protection, per Willow.”
“OK,” Buffy replied, still obviously reeling a bit from Xander's observation.
Opening the door, he nudged her shoulder. “Shove over, Buffy. I'll drive it to the house.”
Buffy just nodded and moved to the passenger seat, eyes fixed on the construction up ahead, a thoughtful furrow on her brow.
End
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Batman
Characters: Buffy, Bruce, Xander
Rating: suitable for people over 13
Word Count: 1938
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.
Related stories: Expanding The Family and Getting Her M. R. S.
Notes: Need to find time to reply to everyone's responses. Thank you for them. This is not my native genre, but bits of this story have been sticking in my head for months, so, I'm writing them. This bit happens further down the road, after Buffy revealed she was the Slayer, Bruce accepted it was possible, they got married and Buffy returned to Sunnydale because of the threat, leaving Dawn and Dick with Bruce and Alfred.
Bruce sat at his desk, waiting. A small smile was on his face that he couldn't even explain to himself, but there was a feeling of contentment that had first started when he took Dick as his ward. He had acted, initially, out of sympathy for the boy, knowing what it was to lose watch your parents die at that age. It hadn't taken long for the boy to break through his emotional walls and find his place there.
Despite what he frequently told himself, every now and then Bruce could be honest enough to admit that he fought Buffy so hard to keep Dick because the boy meant so much.
Now, Dick was his more securely than he could have hoped and, thanks to Buffy, adoption proceedings had already begun to make Dick theirs.
The deal he had struck with Buffy had seemed so simple and clean cut. They would both be going in knowing that it was a business deal. Bruce hadn't been heartbroken when Buffy had to head back to Sunnydale to fight something she couldn't define, he had simply insisted she stay in touch and tell him if she needed help. She had warned him she would call every night to speak to Dawn and Dick and all she needed from him was for him to keep them safe in Gotham.
He'd almost laughed at that. No one is ever safe in Gotham, not entirely, but he understood what she meant and he was doing his best. Well, Alfred was doing much more than he was, but they were working on it together.
Speaking of Alfred, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was teaching Dawn while Batman and Robin were on patrol.
After a short but heated argument between the sisters, Dawn had agreed that she would not go out to fight either crime or the supernatural in Gotham. Buffy had somehow extracted a promise that Dawn would learn everything she could to support them because that would keep them safe.
The girl, his ward, had shown a surprising intellect and had quickly picked up on the detective work side of things. Alfred had taken her under his wing and seemed quite fond of her.
He was drawn from his thoughts as the phone rang. “Hello?” he asked. He knew it was Buffy, but wanted to give a pleasant greeting since she complained about how he normally answered the phone.
“Bruce!”
“Hi Buffy. How are things out West?”
“Ugh. Busy and crowded. How are things out East?”
“Not so crowded, but it's Dick and Dawn.”
“Ah. I understand.”
“Not sure you truly do,” he replied with a laugh. “You need to be here and experience it for yourself.” He realized he really meant that, but pushed it aside. “Dawn had her testing for school and Dick re-tested.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Despite having skipped a grade last year, Dick, now that he is more emotionally recovered and based on the grades he received in his partial year last school year, will be skipping a grade again.”
“So unfair,” Buffy complained, her pout evident in her voice. “Why couldn't I have been smart enough to skip some grades and get out early.”
“From what Dawn says it probably had something to do with cheerleading and French.”
“She may not be wrong.”
“Cheerleading I can see. And given the scholarships available, not an unheard of way to go to college. But what's up with French.”
“It's un-slayable evil and should be banned from all school, no, from the whole planet!”
Bruce laughed at that. “It's not so bad,” he deflected.
“Oh yes, yes it is.”
“You'll have to explain that to me.”
“Someday. How did Dawnie do?”
“Well, it turns out that she has the ability to skip a grade, but based on her attendance last year, she will be in the correct grade, but AP and Honors classes.”
“Wow. Better than I thought,” Buffy admitted. “It's good that she'll be putting that big brain of hers to use.”
“She also let a few other things slip and I did a little research,” Bruce admitted, knowing he was treading on thin ground.
“Oh?”
“Dawn's not the only Summer's sister with a big brain, apparently.” He heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone. “I know you don't think much of your intellect and, from what Dawn mentioned, have never been encouraged academically, but, Buffy, I think you really should give college another try. If sitting in classes doesn't work for you for whatever reason, maybe we can try on-line, but...”
“It's not a good time for this, Bruce.”
“There's never a good time.”
“No, I mean now is not a good time. We... we have some leads on what we might be fighting.”
Worry seized his gut and his mouth turned dry as he asked, “What?”
“It calls itself The First Evil, the one from which all other evil springs. And you know the serial killer you were looking into that was headed toward Gotham.”
“Yes.”
“His name is Caleb. He is the high priest or something of the First.”
A loud thumping noise on the other end of the line caused Bruce's brow to furrow. “What was that?”
“Hold on,” Buffy said into the phone.
Bruce waited trying to make out the sounds, but Buffy had covered the receiver with her hand. It was frustrating him to know she was in danger and there was nothing he could do. The only reason he wasn't out there now was that he'd given Buffy his word he would keep the kids safe here and not just leave it to Alfred. He only had to wait a moment before she came back on the line with an audible sight. “What happened?” he asked, his concern evident.
“Three more girls just showed up and I've got to find room and food for them. Casa Summers is not exactly Wayne manor.”
“Are there larger places available?”
“Sure, but none of them are home. Only someone who considers the house their home can let vampires and other things into the house.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you can magically make my house bigger.”
He winced as he heard a crash on the other end.
“And that's my cue to go. Take care. I'll call tomorrow.”
Before he could respond, she had hung up, ending the connection.
Bruce sat at still for a few minutes, frustrated that there was little he could do from three thousand miles away. With a sigh, he reached his hand out to place the phone on his desk when his eye caught the wedding band on his finger.
An idea sparked in his mind and a smile crept across his face. “Maybe not magic,” he murmured, turning toward his laptop, “but I'm pretty sure I can do something.”
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Buffy sighed as she made the turn onto Revello Drive. Grocery shopping had never been her favorite type of shopping, and with far too many people in far too small a space, she was even less a fan. At least she didn't have to do the cooking as well. One deliberately Dawn-esque meal had gotten her out of the horror of that duty.
As she made her way down the road, the number of additional vehicles drew her attention.
Slowing as she moved further down the road, she spotted the construction crews at what looked like the neighbor's house. Before she could get much further, she spotted Xander waving an arm at her.
Pulling to a stop several houses away from hers, she rolled down the window as her friend approached. “What's the what?”
Xander looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “I could be asking you the same thing, Mrs. Bruce Wayne.”
Buffy started. “Uh... I...”
“Left a few things out about your trip out East to see your cousin and leave Dawnie with him?”
Amusement danced in her friend's eyes and eased some of her worry. “Its... complicated?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Telling,” Buffy replied more firmly before her shoulder's slumped. Turning her attention to the construction she asked, “What's going on?”
“Well... it appears you presented your hubby with a problem that he felt he could fix.”
“Huh? And how do you know?”
“He called.”
Buffy's brows shot up in surprise. “He called?”
“Yep. Wanted to give you a heads up, but found out you were out grocery shopping. Which reminds me, he said, 'Tell her she has that card for a reason and she is to use it.' So, what cared is it?” Xander asked curiously.
Buffy cringed slightly as he recited the message. It was on point of contention between them that Buffy knew she was going to lose, but just couldn't get past yet. With a sigh, she informed, “When we married, he made all of our accounts joint accounts for as long as we're together.”
“Wait. he... Buffy's he's like a billionaire. And he... You...”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. That's...”
“Yeah.” The two sat there contemplating the reality of having access to that kind of money. It had been a daydream before, but nothing they thought could be a reality. Shaking herself, Buffy prompted, “The construction?”
“Oh,” Xander said, eying his friend carefully. “ Bruce said, 'It may not be your kind of magic, but it should do the trick'. Any idea what he means? Something about your conversation last night.”
Buffy blinked at him for several seconds, face black with surprise. “I told him that we needed more room, but that we couldn't really move since the house needed to be owned by the person and thought as a home.”
Xander tilted his head to the side for a second in thought before nodding. “That would explain it,” he stated.
“Explain what?”
“Apparently, you now own the empty houses on either side of yours and has had a designer work on how to connect them to your house to expand it.”
“What?”
“It's actually really cool and very impressive. The work crew he hired are also really good and efficient, but that might just be because they want out of here before dark.”
“But...”
Xander's face softened. “Buff, whatever else Bruce Wayne may be, he is a problem solver. The fact he's in love with you makes it even more imperative for him to solve your problems and ensure your comfort.”
“He's not... we're not...” she cut herself off when she saw Xander's soft, knowing smile. “You only talked to him once on the phone, how...?”
His smile widened as he shrugged. “It's pretty obvious really, but, back to the point. By the time they leave tonight, at least one of the wings to the house on the right will be complete enough to make that qualify as your house, you'll just need to go into it and check it out. The more 'yours' you can make it the stronger the protection, per Willow.”
“OK,” Buffy replied, still obviously reeling a bit from Xander's observation.
Opening the door, he nudged her shoulder. “Shove over, Buffy. I'll drive it to the house.”
Buffy just nodded and moved to the passenger seat, eyes fixed on the construction up ahead, a thoughtful furrow on her brow.
End