MOONLIGHT ↠ B. WAYNE

ELEVEN

       CW: MATURE CONTENT

"I'm Thomas Wayne, and I approve this message. From a very young age, my family, Martha's family, the Arkhams, instilled in both of us that giving back is not just an obligation, it's a passion. That is our family's legacy,"

Giselle glances over tentatively at Bruce, who's still in his Bat suit as the TV screen flashes the headline, 'EXPLOSIVE NEW RIDDLER VIDEO GOES VIRAL, KILLER'S MESSAGE HAS OVER 13 MILLION VIEWS'.  They are seated in the Bat Cave, quietly watching.

"The Waynes and the Arkhams," says the voice of the Riddler. "Gotham's founding families, but what is their real legacy?"

Giselle places a hesitant hand on the tired vigilante's shoulder as he watches the screen behind his painted eyes. She can tell watching this is upsetting to him, and she can't blame him.

"Twenty years ago, one reporter set out to uncover the dark truth, and he found shocking family secrets! How, when Martha was just a child, her mother brutally murdered her father, then committed suicide and how the Arkhams used their power and money to cover it up. How Martha herself, was in and out of institutions for years and they didn't want anyone to know. Thomas Wayne tried to force this crusading reporter into a hush-money agreement to save his mayoral campaign, but when the reporter refused...Wayne turned to longtime secret associate Carmine Falcone and had him murdered! The Waynes and the Arkhams, Gotham's legacy of lies and murder!"

The screen changes to show the Riddler's masked face wearing glasses, standing in front of a black backdrop with his question mark insignia on it. The blonde girl grimaces and looks away--it's too unsettling to look at the eyes of a murderer.

"I hope you're listening, Bruce Wayne. This is your legacy too. And Gotham needs you to answer for the sins of your father. And if you don't well, there's someone else who will..." The Riddler lets out a sinister cackle. "Goodbye!"

"What does he mean, 'someone else who will'?" Giselle asks worriedly as the video ends.

Bruce gazes down at her behind his dark eyes. "I don't know, but I need to pay Carmine Falcone a visit,"

"Okay, I'll come with," she agrees, jumping off the stool she was seated on.

"Absolutely not," quips Bruce in response. "Did you not just listen to that psycho? What if he meant you?"

"How could he possibly mean me—?" Giselle begins before trailing off her sentence at the look on Bruce's face. It's one of worry, of fear.

"If something were to happen to you, Giselle, I-I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he states firmly.

"I'll stay here," she tells him softly. Bruce lets out a sigh as he starts walking towards the elevator leading up to Wayne Tower.

"Where are you going?" asks a confused Giselle, taking a few steps towards him.

"I'm seeing Falcone as myself," he declares.

An hour later, Giselle is beyond anxious as she sits alone in the empty Wayne Tower. Rain is pattering down harshly against the windows from the angry sky above as she stares outside, nervously biting at her nails. She can only aimlessly scroll her phone so much before growing tired of that too.

Bruce does not return for another hour and half, and when he does, he wordlessly leads Giselle to the end of a hallway, until they stop at a pair of double doors.

There's a thick chain wrapped around the handle to the wooden doors. Bruce tugs it off in minutes and Giselle wordlessly follows him into the old, dark room. There's a large, neatly made king-sized bed and an assortment of fancy furniture. The bedroom looks as though it has been untouched for the last two decades, and is now a memory preserved in time.