They Scream - August 20th
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 20
Title: They Scream
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/DC Universe
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or DCAU people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Just a quiet Halloween at home.
Notes: Part 5 of Not So Orphaned Summer
Seasons: Post-“Gift”
Word Count: 2405
Bruce considered the paperwork in front of him. He needed to talk to Summer about it. But she seemed to be in a fragile place. However, there were things that could not wait.
He left his home office and knocked on the door of Summer’s room. The door opened after a moment to reveal Summer in jeans and a t-shirt.
“Hi,” she greeted with a slightly upbeat bounce. “What’s up?”
“There are some legalities that need to be dealt with, soon.”
Her cheer dimmed and he felt a bit like a cad.
“What do you mean?”
“There are documents needed, birth certificate, social security card, but for any of these to be made, you have to choose a name.”
“Summer,” she said without hesitation. “I’ve used it for this long…”
“A full legal name,” he pointed out.
“Oh.” She considered. “Is this made more difficult by the fact that I don’t have any memories?”
“No. Tests confirm you’re about twelve, so that’s easy. But the DNA tests make this pretty simple from a legal point of view. Plus, Superman’s affidavit of how he found you.”
“So all of this is ready to go forward and the only roadblock is my name?”
Bruce worked not to grit his teeth. “Yes.”
“Why is Dick’s last name Grayson?”
Not sure where she was going with her question, he answered it honestly. “Dick did not want to give up his parents’ names, it meant a lot to him to continue to be a Grayson.”
“I know my name was something different,” she told him. “I know that Summer is familiar, but I also know it was not my name.”
“Do you want to choose something else?”
“No. Summer…it’s not a bad name and I’m used to it.” She looked at him. “I’m guessing what we’re dancing around is whether or not I want your last name.”
Bruce tried to hide his surprise, there were times her perception of a situation was spot-on. “Yes.”
“I guess the question isn’t for me, it’s for you,” she said. “Am I a Wayne?”
He frowned a moment as he worked through the possible permutations of their conversation. He had not anticipated that she would feel the need to get his approval. But the question did stand. Was he ready to admit that she was his daughter, that sometime in his misspent youth he had become a father…and never known it?
The emotional implications aside, he clung to the DNA tests that he and the League and a private lab had all run independently. “You’re my daughter,” he told her.
“Then I guess I’m Summer Wayne.”
“No middle name?”
She shrugged. “You pick one.”
88888888
“I take it you like shopping?” Bruce asked in amusement.
“I guess so,” she said sheepishly as she looked at the bags she had.
“Don’t be embarrassed. You need more than five outfits.” He pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “In fact, Alfred gave me this.”
She opened it and looked at it, not comprehending. “What is this?”
“Our shopping list. He’s quite determined that you need a sufficient wardrobe complete with jewelry and shoes.”
“Why?”
Bruce shrugged. He did not want to explain that they had waited to bring this up simply because they did not want to impose things on her. But it was important that she had what she needed. Which included shoes that were not falling apart and outfits that were not secondhand and repaired in places. More than anything, they hoped if she did not dress like a street kid, she would stop hiding away in her room.
“I do suggest you follow Alfred’s exacting instructions,” Bruce told her in amusement. “If you don’t, he’ll probably go buy it for you himself.”
“How’s his taste in clothing?” she asked.
“He’s only been dressing men for more than thirty years…”
88888888
Summer stopped and took in the three portraits. Alfred had stated their importance during a tour she had requested to get to know the mansion beyond the distance between her room and the dining room.
The first was of Bruce, painted when he was about fourteen. It often made her wonder what he had been like at that age. From what she had dug up, he had been as mysterious a child as he was a man. For about ten years from age fifteen on, he hadn’t been seen nor heard from. Alfred had been around, whispered about. When Bruce had reappeared at twenty-six, it had been a big deal. He had stepped into his role at Wayne Enterprises, letting nearly half the board go. In the time since, he was considered a shrewd and charitable businessman. His personal life seemed to be shallow, and nothing ever lasted more than a few dates or appearances.
The next portrait was Dick Grayson at about the same age. He was well-known and constantly commented on. Even when she had been in the hospital, she had read about him. Though, he hadn’t been in Gotham for a few years. The current speculation was that - like Bruce - he had taken a trip around the world, likely to explore his roots.
Bruce’s - and hers - were on the wall next. Bruce at age seven with a man who could be his twin save Thomas Wayne’s hazel eyes. Martha was a tall, thin woman with ice blue eyes and a wide smile. Eyes and a smile that Bruce had. But Thomas and Martha had been gone for decades.
She sighed and looked down the hallway at a mirror that stood against the far end of the hall. She traveled to it, finding the mirror reflected someone who - while a child - was most definitely a relation of Bruce, Thomas, and Martha. She had Thomas’s hazel eyes and Martha’s nose and chin. Bruce’s cheekbones and severe expression were mirrored back at her with dark hair and childish size.
It was disturbing to look in the mirror and know it was not herself. It scared her some, for she knew it was a type of psychological condition and suggested she needed more help. What if being the Slayer, the life she vaguely recalled was just a dream. What if lifting things and being strong was just her delusional mind protecting itself.
“What if I’m crazy?” she whispered to her not-reflection. She reached out and hesitantly touched the mirror. It was solid beneath her fingers, it did not ripple or crumble. “I don’t know what’s scarier,” she admitted, “that I’m his daughter and the rest of my life is a bad dream…or that I’m not his daughter and this is all just held together by his feelings of responsibility because of a DNA result.”
Tears filled her eyes and a pulsing started in her head. She groaned and grabbed her head. It refocused her, taking her thoughts from the other place and her past.
Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
88888888
Summer shook out her shoulders and went after the weight bag again. She had to admit, the Wayne Manor gym was well-made. And huge. There were mats on the floor and equipment that could be found at even the smallest of gyms. There were also an impressive array of weapons.
“You’re too tense,” Bruce’s amused voice came from behind her.
Summer started. It was getting really annoying how easily both Bruce and Alfred seemed to sneak up on her. She was the Slayer, no one should have been able to walk up without her hearing them.
“Too tense?” she asked.
“Have you ever trained against someone?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
He strolled into the room. “Okay. Let me see what you have.”
Summer nodded but immediately set to holding back. She was the Slayer after all, and it would not do to harm a human.
It only took a few minutes for her to run into a problem. While she knew how to be careful of her strength and she knew how to fight taller, heavier opponents, it seemed she had trouble doing both. In order to make up for the height difference between her and different enemies or demons, she used more strength.
Her strategy quickly became about keeping out of reach and only engaging when it was the only option. She realized it also helped to downplay her extensive knowledge of combat. It was because of this that she noticed Bruce was extensively trained in at least three different types of hand-to-hand combat styles.
After forty minutes Bruce called a halt to everything. “At least you know how not to get caught,” he observed as he grabbed a small towel to wipe the sweat off his face.
She made no response, just leaned forward with her hands on her knees.
“Tomorrow is Halloween,” he noted.
Summer thought about it and shrugged. “I guess it is.”
“We’re too far out to trick or treat, or get trick-or-treaters here. But we could drive into the suburbs a bit and you could trick or treat there.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “I’d rather not.”
“Too old for it?”
A flash of fangs came through her memory. But that was unusual, for the most part Halloween had been a quiet holiday where even demons did little mischief. She shrugged.
“If you change your mind, let Alfred know by tomorrow morning.”
“Sure.”
88888888
By the following evening, Batman was glad Summer had chosen to stay in. In particular Gotham style, it seemed a fair number of criminals were out. Harley and Joker had already robbed a bank and were on a tear of the city. Gang factions were staking claims across the city. And Scarecrow had been reported at multiple haunted houses.
It also did not help that the League communication system seemed to be down. He flicked a switch to put him back on Batcoms.
“Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do,” a familiar voice said.
“Robin,” he greeted in mild surprise.
“I was coming home when I heard the news reports,” Robin told him. “Did everyone lose their minds?”
“No idea. But the League can’t be reached, so it is just us.”
“Ah, just like old times.”
He harrumphed in annoyance. “Do you need any supplies?”
“No, I’m stocked. Where do you want me?”
“Southside, see if you can get the gangs to scatter.”
“Where are you going?”
“After Joker and Harley.”
“What about Scarecrow?”
“Whichever one of us can get to him first.”
“Okay. I’ll check in with you later. Robin, out.”
“Be careful,” Batman said softly, knowing his former sidekick would not appreciate the sentiment.
88888888
Summer had to admit the costumes were amusing. While she had no interest in trick-or-treating, she had needed to see other people. She knew nothing of how Gotham worked. In comparison, she had known Metropolis like the back of her hand. She even knew after a meta-human attack how long it took the city to return to usual.
But not in Gotham. She had been at the Manor for almost the entire time. Halloween was an anomaly, but she had just needed to interact with other people without someone standing over her. Bruce and Alfred were great. They wanted to make sure she never felt alone…by never leaving her alone. The problem was, she was starting to feel smothered. So she had snuck out.
Yes, it was the immature thing to do. But it had felt…normal, like she had done it a thousand times before.
Her fast pace had brought her quickly to a neighborhood which was loud with the sound of children laughing and Halloween music. She had walked along the street, staying out of the way of the kids and their parents. But she was endlessly amused by the costumes. There were people dressed as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. At least one teen had been the Flash.
It was a strange world where superheroes existed out in the open. While it was speculated they all had secret identities or at least led normal lives when they were not saving the public, people knew about them, knew their names and in some cases their powers.
She wondered for a moment what Kal thought of all this. She should have gotten a way to contact him that did not involve nearly dying. Not that she needed his help. But she would like to talk to someone who knew the truth about how she got here.
A piercing scream pulled her from her thoughts. It made her tense and her hand went instinctively to the small of her back, but there was nothing there. She headed for the sound, one most people seemed to get startled by but quickly dismiss as the sounds of the holiday.
She knew better. That was true fright. She found the source as a woman cowering behind a fake gravestone in the front lawn of a haunted house. Summer kneeled next to the woman. “What happened?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Imsorry. Imsorry.” The woman repeated continuously.
“She came from in there,” a voice said.
Summer turned and found a guy in a scarecrow costume pointing into the haunted house.
“Of course she did,” Summer muttered. “Call an ambulance.”
She entered the house. Despite the terror that should have engulfed her, she felt her world calm. Her breathing steadied and her heart slowed. She narrowed her eyes, enhanced Slayer vision giving her nearly perfect vision in the dark.
88888888
“Robin to Batman.”
“I’m here,” Batman replied from his rooftop perch. He was watching as the police rounded up Joker and Harley.
“So, did you get to Scarecrow?”
“No, Joker has just been handled. Why?”
“Well, I went to check out the reports of a nightmare inducing haunted house,” Robin said. “But when I arrived, I found the ambulance taking away the victims.”
“Scarecrow?”
“Knocked out in the middle of the haunted house. He was tied up in a piece of steel.”
“Any idea what happened?”
“Reports are that a girl went in and then the ambulance was called from the phone in the house.”
“And since its Halloween, she was dressed up?”
“No, that’s why she stood out enough for the neighbors to notice even though they had not thought there was anything weird about people screaming in terror.”
“Any cameras?”
“No. The description is vague. A girl, dark hair.”
“Very helpful.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Meet you back at the Cave. Batman, out.”
Title: They Scream
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/DC Universe
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or DCAU people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Just a quiet Halloween at home.
Notes: Part 5 of Not So Orphaned Summer
Seasons: Post-“Gift”
Word Count: 2405
Bruce considered the paperwork in front of him. He needed to talk to Summer about it. But she seemed to be in a fragile place. However, there were things that could not wait.
He left his home office and knocked on the door of Summer’s room. The door opened after a moment to reveal Summer in jeans and a t-shirt.
“Hi,” she greeted with a slightly upbeat bounce. “What’s up?”
“There are some legalities that need to be dealt with, soon.”
Her cheer dimmed and he felt a bit like a cad.
“What do you mean?”
“There are documents needed, birth certificate, social security card, but for any of these to be made, you have to choose a name.”
“Summer,” she said without hesitation. “I’ve used it for this long…”
“A full legal name,” he pointed out.
“Oh.” She considered. “Is this made more difficult by the fact that I don’t have any memories?”
“No. Tests confirm you’re about twelve, so that’s easy. But the DNA tests make this pretty simple from a legal point of view. Plus, Superman’s affidavit of how he found you.”
“So all of this is ready to go forward and the only roadblock is my name?”
Bruce worked not to grit his teeth. “Yes.”
“Why is Dick’s last name Grayson?”
Not sure where she was going with her question, he answered it honestly. “Dick did not want to give up his parents’ names, it meant a lot to him to continue to be a Grayson.”
“I know my name was something different,” she told him. “I know that Summer is familiar, but I also know it was not my name.”
“Do you want to choose something else?”
“No. Summer…it’s not a bad name and I’m used to it.” She looked at him. “I’m guessing what we’re dancing around is whether or not I want your last name.”
Bruce tried to hide his surprise, there were times her perception of a situation was spot-on. “Yes.”
“I guess the question isn’t for me, it’s for you,” she said. “Am I a Wayne?”
He frowned a moment as he worked through the possible permutations of their conversation. He had not anticipated that she would feel the need to get his approval. But the question did stand. Was he ready to admit that she was his daughter, that sometime in his misspent youth he had become a father…and never known it?
The emotional implications aside, he clung to the DNA tests that he and the League and a private lab had all run independently. “You’re my daughter,” he told her.
“Then I guess I’m Summer Wayne.”
“No middle name?”
She shrugged. “You pick one.”
88888888
“I take it you like shopping?” Bruce asked in amusement.
“I guess so,” she said sheepishly as she looked at the bags she had.
“Don’t be embarrassed. You need more than five outfits.” He pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “In fact, Alfred gave me this.”
She opened it and looked at it, not comprehending. “What is this?”
“Our shopping list. He’s quite determined that you need a sufficient wardrobe complete with jewelry and shoes.”
“Why?”
Bruce shrugged. He did not want to explain that they had waited to bring this up simply because they did not want to impose things on her. But it was important that she had what she needed. Which included shoes that were not falling apart and outfits that were not secondhand and repaired in places. More than anything, they hoped if she did not dress like a street kid, she would stop hiding away in her room.
“I do suggest you follow Alfred’s exacting instructions,” Bruce told her in amusement. “If you don’t, he’ll probably go buy it for you himself.”
“How’s his taste in clothing?” she asked.
“He’s only been dressing men for more than thirty years…”
88888888
Summer stopped and took in the three portraits. Alfred had stated their importance during a tour she had requested to get to know the mansion beyond the distance between her room and the dining room.
The first was of Bruce, painted when he was about fourteen. It often made her wonder what he had been like at that age. From what she had dug up, he had been as mysterious a child as he was a man. For about ten years from age fifteen on, he hadn’t been seen nor heard from. Alfred had been around, whispered about. When Bruce had reappeared at twenty-six, it had been a big deal. He had stepped into his role at Wayne Enterprises, letting nearly half the board go. In the time since, he was considered a shrewd and charitable businessman. His personal life seemed to be shallow, and nothing ever lasted more than a few dates or appearances.
The next portrait was Dick Grayson at about the same age. He was well-known and constantly commented on. Even when she had been in the hospital, she had read about him. Though, he hadn’t been in Gotham for a few years. The current speculation was that - like Bruce - he had taken a trip around the world, likely to explore his roots.
Bruce’s - and hers - were on the wall next. Bruce at age seven with a man who could be his twin save Thomas Wayne’s hazel eyes. Martha was a tall, thin woman with ice blue eyes and a wide smile. Eyes and a smile that Bruce had. But Thomas and Martha had been gone for decades.
She sighed and looked down the hallway at a mirror that stood against the far end of the hall. She traveled to it, finding the mirror reflected someone who - while a child - was most definitely a relation of Bruce, Thomas, and Martha. She had Thomas’s hazel eyes and Martha’s nose and chin. Bruce’s cheekbones and severe expression were mirrored back at her with dark hair and childish size.
It was disturbing to look in the mirror and know it was not herself. It scared her some, for she knew it was a type of psychological condition and suggested she needed more help. What if being the Slayer, the life she vaguely recalled was just a dream. What if lifting things and being strong was just her delusional mind protecting itself.
“What if I’m crazy?” she whispered to her not-reflection. She reached out and hesitantly touched the mirror. It was solid beneath her fingers, it did not ripple or crumble. “I don’t know what’s scarier,” she admitted, “that I’m his daughter and the rest of my life is a bad dream…or that I’m not his daughter and this is all just held together by his feelings of responsibility because of a DNA result.”
Tears filled her eyes and a pulsing started in her head. She groaned and grabbed her head. It refocused her, taking her thoughts from the other place and her past.
Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
88888888
Summer shook out her shoulders and went after the weight bag again. She had to admit, the Wayne Manor gym was well-made. And huge. There were mats on the floor and equipment that could be found at even the smallest of gyms. There were also an impressive array of weapons.
“You’re too tense,” Bruce’s amused voice came from behind her.
Summer started. It was getting really annoying how easily both Bruce and Alfred seemed to sneak up on her. She was the Slayer, no one should have been able to walk up without her hearing them.
“Too tense?” she asked.
“Have you ever trained against someone?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
He strolled into the room. “Okay. Let me see what you have.”
Summer nodded but immediately set to holding back. She was the Slayer after all, and it would not do to harm a human.
It only took a few minutes for her to run into a problem. While she knew how to be careful of her strength and she knew how to fight taller, heavier opponents, it seemed she had trouble doing both. In order to make up for the height difference between her and different enemies or demons, she used more strength.
Her strategy quickly became about keeping out of reach and only engaging when it was the only option. She realized it also helped to downplay her extensive knowledge of combat. It was because of this that she noticed Bruce was extensively trained in at least three different types of hand-to-hand combat styles.
After forty minutes Bruce called a halt to everything. “At least you know how not to get caught,” he observed as he grabbed a small towel to wipe the sweat off his face.
She made no response, just leaned forward with her hands on her knees.
“Tomorrow is Halloween,” he noted.
Summer thought about it and shrugged. “I guess it is.”
“We’re too far out to trick or treat, or get trick-or-treaters here. But we could drive into the suburbs a bit and you could trick or treat there.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “I’d rather not.”
“Too old for it?”
A flash of fangs came through her memory. But that was unusual, for the most part Halloween had been a quiet holiday where even demons did little mischief. She shrugged.
“If you change your mind, let Alfred know by tomorrow morning.”
“Sure.”
88888888
By the following evening, Batman was glad Summer had chosen to stay in. In particular Gotham style, it seemed a fair number of criminals were out. Harley and Joker had already robbed a bank and were on a tear of the city. Gang factions were staking claims across the city. And Scarecrow had been reported at multiple haunted houses.
It also did not help that the League communication system seemed to be down. He flicked a switch to put him back on Batcoms.
“Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do,” a familiar voice said.
“Robin,” he greeted in mild surprise.
“I was coming home when I heard the news reports,” Robin told him. “Did everyone lose their minds?”
“No idea. But the League can’t be reached, so it is just us.”
“Ah, just like old times.”
He harrumphed in annoyance. “Do you need any supplies?”
“No, I’m stocked. Where do you want me?”
“Southside, see if you can get the gangs to scatter.”
“Where are you going?”
“After Joker and Harley.”
“What about Scarecrow?”
“Whichever one of us can get to him first.”
“Okay. I’ll check in with you later. Robin, out.”
“Be careful,” Batman said softly, knowing his former sidekick would not appreciate the sentiment.
88888888
Summer had to admit the costumes were amusing. While she had no interest in trick-or-treating, she had needed to see other people. She knew nothing of how Gotham worked. In comparison, she had known Metropolis like the back of her hand. She even knew after a meta-human attack how long it took the city to return to usual.
But not in Gotham. She had been at the Manor for almost the entire time. Halloween was an anomaly, but she had just needed to interact with other people without someone standing over her. Bruce and Alfred were great. They wanted to make sure she never felt alone…by never leaving her alone. The problem was, she was starting to feel smothered. So she had snuck out.
Yes, it was the immature thing to do. But it had felt…normal, like she had done it a thousand times before.
Her fast pace had brought her quickly to a neighborhood which was loud with the sound of children laughing and Halloween music. She had walked along the street, staying out of the way of the kids and their parents. But she was endlessly amused by the costumes. There were people dressed as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. At least one teen had been the Flash.
It was a strange world where superheroes existed out in the open. While it was speculated they all had secret identities or at least led normal lives when they were not saving the public, people knew about them, knew their names and in some cases their powers.
She wondered for a moment what Kal thought of all this. She should have gotten a way to contact him that did not involve nearly dying. Not that she needed his help. But she would like to talk to someone who knew the truth about how she got here.
A piercing scream pulled her from her thoughts. It made her tense and her hand went instinctively to the small of her back, but there was nothing there. She headed for the sound, one most people seemed to get startled by but quickly dismiss as the sounds of the holiday.
She knew better. That was true fright. She found the source as a woman cowering behind a fake gravestone in the front lawn of a haunted house. Summer kneeled next to the woman. “What happened?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Imsorry. Imsorry.” The woman repeated continuously.
“She came from in there,” a voice said.
Summer turned and found a guy in a scarecrow costume pointing into the haunted house.
“Of course she did,” Summer muttered. “Call an ambulance.”
She entered the house. Despite the terror that should have engulfed her, she felt her world calm. Her breathing steadied and her heart slowed. She narrowed her eyes, enhanced Slayer vision giving her nearly perfect vision in the dark.
88888888
“Robin to Batman.”
“I’m here,” Batman replied from his rooftop perch. He was watching as the police rounded up Joker and Harley.
“So, did you get to Scarecrow?”
“No, Joker has just been handled. Why?”
“Well, I went to check out the reports of a nightmare inducing haunted house,” Robin said. “But when I arrived, I found the ambulance taking away the victims.”
“Scarecrow?”
“Knocked out in the middle of the haunted house. He was tied up in a piece of steel.”
“Any idea what happened?”
“Reports are that a girl went in and then the ambulance was called from the phone in the house.”
“And since its Halloween, she was dressed up?”
“No, that’s why she stood out enough for the neighbors to notice even though they had not thought there was anything weird about people screaming in terror.”
“Any cameras?”
“No. The description is vague. A girl, dark hair.”
“Very helpful.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Meet you back at the Cave. Batman, out.”