Arriving In Gotham
Title: Arriving In Gotham
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Batman
Characters: Buffy, Dawn, Dick, Alfred
Rating: Suitable for all ages
Word Count: 959
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, Getting Her M. R. S. and Helping Hand. This fits into the first story "Expanding The Family" and details the Summers women's trip to and arrival in Gotham.
Buffy shifted in her seat, not liking the feeling of being confined on the airplane. Dawn was asleep next to her and had actually been really great about the situation, though Buffy was pretty sure Dawn fell asleep more out of self defense than any true exhaustion. Or she might be asleep because the cheapest airfare she could find was an overnight flight out of LA.
Her foot shifted and kicked the messenger bag styled briefcase she was bringing. It had been her mothers. It made Buffy feel a little more confident and a little more adult to have it with her. Inside the bag, she'd placed copies of all of the pictures she and Dawn could find of their visits with Dick and his parents. She wasn't sure if he had any and hoped it might make him more open to staying with them.
A small smile tugged at her lips when she thought of their conversation on the phone a few days ago. It was nice to speak to him again, and he seemed to remember her at least a little. Her heart tugged a little when he asked if she was still sad, amazed he had picked up on and remembered that from their meeting when she was seventeen and on her own in LA. She had deflected and was pretty sure her clever little cousin caught on to the fact she hadn’t answered, but he let it go. Instead he asked if they would stay with him at Wayne Manor. She had been reluctant, but knew they didn’t have the money to stay anywhere safe, so she had accepted.
That had led to her conversation with Alfred Pennyworth, who, essentially, ran the house, though he claimed to be a butler. She hadn’t talked to Bruce Wayne yet and honestly didn’t look forward to that discussion.
She had a lot of concerns regarding her ability to provide for Dick and knowing the level of wealth Bruce Wayne had, it didn’t ease them at all. This whole experience had also brought up a lot of worries about Dawn as well. She'd already died twice and couldn't guarantee she'd be there to see Dawn graduate. The idea that she would live another nine years until Dick graduated was - despite what her friends felt - completely absurd. Yet, when she thought about Dick being with anyone else, both Buffy and the Slayer wanted to roar in protest. Somewhere along the way, the Slayer spirit had become just as protective of her family as she had.
Shifting again, she contemplated the additional information Xander had suspected and Willow had proved and provided despite being away at a retreat in England. Anya had also found out that the Batman, who they now had a fair amount of proof was Bruce Wayne, had a new partner - a child who went by Robin, a child who they had proof was Dick. Child endangerment if there was ever a case, not that Buffy would have a leg to stand on. Sunnydale was in no way safer than Gotham, but she and Dawn had so little family left. Dick was the last of the family on their mother's side and she couldn’t lose him too.
She could only hope a solution would present itself. She needed something to change.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Dick was at the airport waiting for them accompanied by an older man wearing a dark suit.
Seeing how much her young cousin had grown brought a smile to her face, a genuine one as she knelt down to hug him (at least she was taller than somebody!). As she wrapped her arms around him and drew him close, the sense of family she felt when hugging Dawn or that she used to get when hugging her mother filled her again. Feeling him relax against her, she realized he felt it too and felt some of the tension drain from her. They would find a way to make this work.
“Hey, me too,” Dawn protested, poking her in the shoulder.
With a laugh, Buffy released Dick and let Dawn have her chance at hugging him.
Looking behind Dick, she saw the smile on the older man’s face. “Mr. Pennyworth?” Buffy asked hesitantly.
“Indeed Miss Buffy,” he assured with a smile, his accent slightly different than Gile’s but definitely from the same general area of England. “I believe your luggage is about to arrive on the luggage carousel. If you will point it out, I would be happy to gather it.”
“Oh,” she said startled and wincing internally as she thought about how heavy her suitcase was. “I can get those.”
“Not at all, Miss. It would be my pleasure.”
Knowing better than to protest further and actually being thankful for the parties and openings she’d been dragged to as a child so she wasn’t completely lost with regard to how to act, she acquiesced and pointed out Dawn’s suitcase as it made its way around to them. She let out a small breath of relief when, after finishing their hug, Dawn suggested she and Dick would pick up a luggage cart.
With the luggage gathered, the small group turned to leave. Dick was holding Buffy’s hand and, not really thinking about it, she swung him up into her arms and settled him on her hip. When he giggled, she smiled brightly down at him and received an almost identical smile in return. She didn’t miss the flash of a camera, but put it out of her mind as she followed Alfred and Dawn out the doors, wondering if she should feel bad about the grilling Alfred was receiving from Dawn, but let the thought fade as she and Dick began their own conversation.
End
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Batman
Characters: Buffy, Dawn, Dick, Alfred
Rating: Suitable for all ages
Word Count: 959
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, Getting Her M. R. S. and Helping Hand. This fits into the first story "Expanding The Family" and details the Summers women's trip to and arrival in Gotham.
Buffy shifted in her seat, not liking the feeling of being confined on the airplane. Dawn was asleep next to her and had actually been really great about the situation, though Buffy was pretty sure Dawn fell asleep more out of self defense than any true exhaustion. Or she might be asleep because the cheapest airfare she could find was an overnight flight out of LA.
Her foot shifted and kicked the messenger bag styled briefcase she was bringing. It had been her mothers. It made Buffy feel a little more confident and a little more adult to have it with her. Inside the bag, she'd placed copies of all of the pictures she and Dawn could find of their visits with Dick and his parents. She wasn't sure if he had any and hoped it might make him more open to staying with them.
A small smile tugged at her lips when she thought of their conversation on the phone a few days ago. It was nice to speak to him again, and he seemed to remember her at least a little. Her heart tugged a little when he asked if she was still sad, amazed he had picked up on and remembered that from their meeting when she was seventeen and on her own in LA. She had deflected and was pretty sure her clever little cousin caught on to the fact she hadn’t answered, but he let it go. Instead he asked if they would stay with him at Wayne Manor. She had been reluctant, but knew they didn’t have the money to stay anywhere safe, so she had accepted.
That had led to her conversation with Alfred Pennyworth, who, essentially, ran the house, though he claimed to be a butler. She hadn’t talked to Bruce Wayne yet and honestly didn’t look forward to that discussion.
She had a lot of concerns regarding her ability to provide for Dick and knowing the level of wealth Bruce Wayne had, it didn’t ease them at all. This whole experience had also brought up a lot of worries about Dawn as well. She'd already died twice and couldn't guarantee she'd be there to see Dawn graduate. The idea that she would live another nine years until Dick graduated was - despite what her friends felt - completely absurd. Yet, when she thought about Dick being with anyone else, both Buffy and the Slayer wanted to roar in protest. Somewhere along the way, the Slayer spirit had become just as protective of her family as she had.
Shifting again, she contemplated the additional information Xander had suspected and Willow had proved and provided despite being away at a retreat in England. Anya had also found out that the Batman, who they now had a fair amount of proof was Bruce Wayne, had a new partner - a child who went by Robin, a child who they had proof was Dick. Child endangerment if there was ever a case, not that Buffy would have a leg to stand on. Sunnydale was in no way safer than Gotham, but she and Dawn had so little family left. Dick was the last of the family on their mother's side and she couldn’t lose him too.
She could only hope a solution would present itself. She needed something to change.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Dick was at the airport waiting for them accompanied by an older man wearing a dark suit.
Seeing how much her young cousin had grown brought a smile to her face, a genuine one as she knelt down to hug him (at least she was taller than somebody!). As she wrapped her arms around him and drew him close, the sense of family she felt when hugging Dawn or that she used to get when hugging her mother filled her again. Feeling him relax against her, she realized he felt it too and felt some of the tension drain from her. They would find a way to make this work.
“Hey, me too,” Dawn protested, poking her in the shoulder.
With a laugh, Buffy released Dick and let Dawn have her chance at hugging him.
Looking behind Dick, she saw the smile on the older man’s face. “Mr. Pennyworth?” Buffy asked hesitantly.
“Indeed Miss Buffy,” he assured with a smile, his accent slightly different than Gile’s but definitely from the same general area of England. “I believe your luggage is about to arrive on the luggage carousel. If you will point it out, I would be happy to gather it.”
“Oh,” she said startled and wincing internally as she thought about how heavy her suitcase was. “I can get those.”
“Not at all, Miss. It would be my pleasure.”
Knowing better than to protest further and actually being thankful for the parties and openings she’d been dragged to as a child so she wasn’t completely lost with regard to how to act, she acquiesced and pointed out Dawn’s suitcase as it made its way around to them. She let out a small breath of relief when, after finishing their hug, Dawn suggested she and Dick would pick up a luggage cart.
With the luggage gathered, the small group turned to leave. Dick was holding Buffy’s hand and, not really thinking about it, she swung him up into her arms and settled him on her hip. When he giggled, she smiled brightly down at him and received an almost identical smile in return. She didn’t miss the flash of a camera, but put it out of her mind as she followed Alfred and Dawn out the doors, wondering if she should feel bad about the grilling Alfred was receiving from Dawn, but let the thought fade as she and Dick began their own conversation.
End