Book Two - Part One: Spectre

Chapter Nine

Bruce wakes alone, that's nothing new, and there is soft calming music laying, again nothing new, Laurie likes to have something soft on first thing in the morning. It's been weeks now since she turned up looking for him. He's barely left her side, except to work. She's even taken a job; waitress at a bar down the street, a few hours here and there but she assures him she doesn't need money, that she can pay her way just fine, she works because she wants to, she wants to immerse herself, be around people, listen to music. He's finding that in the last few weeks he has found out more about her then he had done in the 3 years they had together. And he just keeps falling more and more in love with her. The little things. How she likes to just sit some afternoons with the breeze from outside on her skin as she reads. How she likes meandering around the market buying little things, supporting the vendors. What is new is that he's seeing Laurie first thing. She is sat in front of the open window looking out over the streets, her hair smoothed back into a ponytail, her eyes closed, body relaxed but strong in the lotus position. He always misses these moments, waking up after her morning ritual, she's usually in the shower by the time he wakes. She looks peaceful. Beautiful with the morning light on her skin. It also seems to glisten off of something wrapped around her, like a bubble. He leans up.

"What is that?" he asks her. 

"Force field" she answers not opening her eyes. "You can touch it" she adds, Bruce stands and moves towards her.

"Will it hurt?" he asks.

"As long as you don't run into it" she answers. "It would be like running into a wall made out of vibranium......or adamantium" Bruce holds out his hand and touches the force field around her, he smiles letting out a small laugh, he can't really see it but it feels like he's touching a solid structure. He runs his hand over it, eyes sparkling with interest, his scientific mind just running wild.

"Wow" he whispers softly. He presses his hand against the force field but it's just like pushing against a solid wall. He pulls his hand back and touches his fingers to his palm. "Is this what you do every morning?" he asks her, she nods.

"It helps with the control of my powers" she unfolds her legs and drops the force field as she stands before moving to him, he opens his arms pulling her into an embrace.

"That's something you have to work on?" he asks her, she nods.

"Every single day.....first year of my powers I couldn't control it, I just randomly turned invisible.....it wasn't too bad, it was before I learnt to turn my clothes invisible so there was just these floating pieces of clothing running around the school" Bruce smirks and kisses her head.

"So it works for you?" he asks her, she nods.

"Yeah, it seems my invisibility is effected by my emotions, my heart rate....and yoga's good for controlling heart rate" she points out. "Maybe get up a little earlier one morning and join me?" she asks wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Not promising I can bend like that" he answers, she hums a little and kisses him. "I didn't know you could bend like that" he adds, she chuckles.

"Yeah, you did" she corrects, they share a look, quickly turns heated. He clears his throat backing off, she smiles softly, knowing it's not about her, he just can't any more, his 'condition'. "Would you like some breakfast?" she asks him moving to the kitchen, he nods before vocalising it and following her. He smiles glancing to the side, curled up on his bed against the wall is Ricky. He made good on his word, and had indeed found her a dog, just a stray the was running around the streets. Laurie smiled and shook her head when she saw him, utterly amused that Bruce had done that for her, but she's come to adore the animal. She smiles greeting him now as he lifts his head from his bed, his tail wagging as he takes in the sight of his mistress.

................

Later: Bruce looks up from his work as Laurie returns, she smiles and bounces over to him, he chuckles watching her, she looks so much younger this time around, impossible but true, the burden of their affair is gone from her face, the pain of her own betrayal is gone. She's just Laurel now.

"I got you something" she whispers holding her hands behind her back, he raises an eyebrow at her.

"Oh?" he asks softly turning to face her. She brings her hands forward to show a package wrapped in brown paper. He takes it from her and pulls her down to sit in his lap. Setting the package on the desk he starts to pull the paper from it. She smiles watching him. He lifts the lid of the inside box and his eyes widen slightly. A Polaroid camera sits in the box. "Oh, Laurel" he whispers, she brushes her fingers against the back of his neck.

"Do you like it?" she asks him, he nods picking the Polaroid camera out of the box.

"This is great" he assures her. She kisses his cheek and stands moving to throw away the wrapping paper, he leans back in his seat checking the camera for paper. She's amazing. He holds up the camera as she sweeps her hair over her shoulder, the light from the setting sun illuminating her skin just right, and he takes the photo, the result printing straight out the other side, he takes it and shakes out the Polaroid.

"Really?" she asks. "That's the first photo you take?" he shrugs and looks down as the photo comes into focus.

"It's perfect" he counters glancing back to her, she blushes and turns away, Bruce smiles and grabs the tape from his desk before sticking the photo to the wall above his work, leaning back in his seat he smiles.