Eilis was a small boy when I first met him.
His body was frail from malnutrition and multiple breaks.
I had been living in an apartment complex back then and he was a victim of the woman I helped put behind bars.
Metropolis was a sparking city, glitter rained down from the sky and the American flag was practically replaced by Superman’s symbol.
Still, wicked things happened there, in the hidden cracks of perfect marble.
Three years later, Eilis is my legal son and I’m considered a murderer.
Apparently in Metropolis, criminals are all roses and sunshine, even when they’re trying to kill you.
You become the bad guy when the police come barreling in and you’re the one holding the ax, you’re apparently a kidnapper when your new son cowers in the corner as his estranged father, a man of many malicious talents, lies dead in the kitchen.
And even when the truth is revealed, Superman is the only one that can take down a villain.
That’s all the public seemed to care about.
Not that my son was now safe from his ‘family business’ or that I was alive another day.
Fast forward a couple of months and Eilis is starting a new high school at a prestigious private academy with a new identity, to hide him from his father's enemies, and I’m attempting to build a life in a criminally run city because no one would judge a helpless mother that did what she had to do.
At least, that was part of it, one of the many reasons I decided to come to Gotham.
I had hoped to stay low, but then Eilis had issues with an over-intelligent child that skipped ahead in the grades and forced me to end up tangled in the sticky web of a rich man.
Not that Bruce has caused me any trouble in the past week since I’ve met him.
In fact, he’s helped me more than most of the people in my life, having Alfred take Eilis to school has helped him socially advance and even fostered a bit of an off-put friendship between our sons.
Damian even came over to help Eilis with his schoolwork a couple of days ago, stayed for dinner, and showed me just how much of a child he still is.
I couldn’t help but mother him a bit, examining the bruises he’s failed to hide and forcing him to relax and play a board game with Eilis and me.
I asked him if Bruce had done it.
Damian said no.
When I crossed my arms, Damian said it wasn’t his father, but a couple of thugs that congregated near his favorite spot, a clearing just outside the Wayne property line.
I told him not to go back there and he agreed, but something told me he wasn’t going to actually listen.
I had decided I would talk to Alfred about it, but it seems that wasn’t much of an option now.
Anyways, I should probably get back to my current situation, after all, overthinking my life isn’t going to save it.
When I awoke my body was sore and my nose was killing me.
Sitting up I tried to cradle my nose but a loud clanking sound broke my concentration.
My wrists were bound in shackles, the chain going on forever before my view of it was cut off by a dark shadowy corner.
The place I am in is dark and shady looking.
It’s dirty and old. You can tell by the stacks of cobwebs upon cobwebs.
Getting to my feet I wince as my sore muscles try to revive themselves.
I must have been out for a long time because my limbs were asleep and not waking up.
I gave a startled cry as I fell to the ground, sitting up I took my leg and started shaking and wiggling my foot. It took about five minutes for it to wake up.
Taking a deep breath I tried to stand again.
This time I didn’t fall over.
Looking around I tried to find an exit, but I couldn’t find anything. It was far too dark to see.
Suddenly the room was illuminated in a silver glow. I spotted two windows but they were too high for me to reach. There was a door on the far right and another ahead of me.
I tried to walk over to the one in front of me, my steps gaining urgency and I was almost running before a sharp pull made me fall flat on my back.
Yanking my hands did nothing. That was as far as the chain went, and I was barely two feet from the door in front of me.
Taking a calming breath I got up and tried for the door to my right. But the room was too large and again the chain stopped me just short of it.
Huffing I sat down in the middle of the room to think.
You wouldn’t even be able to go anywhere with these chains!
I stared at the cuffs on my wrists with disdain.
But I can always see if I can get to the windows and try to get the cuffs off after I know an exit. Then if anyone comes in they won’t recuff me.
Nodding my head I picked myself up and walked over to a window.
There was no way I could get to it without leverage.
Looking around I spotted a crate a little ways away.
Starting my way there I was stopped just short of it.
Hissing, I brought my feet forward and did a little dance with balance.
My foot hooked the crate and I nudged it forward with all my strength. It glided across the concrete with a shriek and I winced, closing my eyes to pray that no one heard it.
After a few moments of deafening silence, I breathed again and started the process once more.
After a few more foot nudges I could finally get behind the crate and push it to the window.
Getting on top of the crate I was finally able to reach the window.
Suck that Alice!
Getting down I grabbed my chain and started pulling it.
Once it was taut I followed it to its source.
Just as I was there the room blinked into darkness.
I froze in my spot, holding my breath.
Guess the moon was covered.
Shaking my head I forced myself to breathe and continue.
Reaching the end I felt around to see what it was.
A block of something was screwed into the wall and the chain was connected to it.
I’d need something to rip it out of the wall. Cursing I desperately pulled on it, but it didn’t budge.
Just when I was about to give up I heard the clicking of high heels.
My mouth went dry and my blood froze in my veins.
Shit! Shit! Come on!
Yanking on the chain some more I felt panic grip my heart.
The door opened and I froze.
“(Y/N)? Are you awake yet?”
Alice’s voice cut through the darkroom and my breath hitched.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She walked further into the room and as if by divine intervention the moon lit up the room once again.
Alice’s eyes flashed as they fell upon me.
“I guess it would be ignorant of me to expect you to just sit there and cry.”
Her voice fell into a sneer and I curled into myself.
I willed the urge to look at the crate away.
With any luck, she wouldn't notice it.
Unfortunately, that was too much to ask for.
Alice looked around the room and zeroed in on the crate.
With all the grace of a woman scorned Alice sashayed over to the crate and kicked it as a show of power.
It slid away from the window, the shriek it made was the only sound in the silent room.
Narrowing my eyes and wincing at the noise I tried to think of a plan.
But I can’t do anything with the chains.
“You know (Y/N), I really did like you.”
Alice stalked over to me and breached my personal space.
Noses almost touching she tilted her head to whisper into my ear.
“Always thought you were hot.”
To emphasize she grabbed my hip roughly before the limb slithered lower.
Shocked, I jumped away from the offending intent.
Alice laughed before walking over to me again.
I wanted to move away but she held her finger up.
“Ah. Ah. Ah. (Y/N). Don’t move.”
The glint in her eyes gave me all the incentive I needed to stay put.
“Good.” She purred before she grabbed my hands and brought a key to where the cuffs connected to the chain.
I stared at her head as she unlocked it, suddenly I had an overwhelming urge to ask.
“Why?”
Alice paused and looked me in the eyes. A sly smile slithered onto her face and she seductively tilted her head.
“Why (Y/N), If I didn’t know any better I’d think you’re taking an interest in me?”
Her smile turned mischievous and her tone grew flirtatious.
“And here I thought you weren't into me!”
I frowned and curled my lip.
“What I’m interested in is why you let me into the room when you committed the crime.”
My tone was dull, calculated, she didn’t need to know I was nervous.
Alice lost her smile and the chain fell to the floor with a clank.
“I really did like you. I really thought we could have been friends. But you declined my offer, so now we’re here.”
She sounded bored.
Bitch!
I felt anger well up inside me but I stomped it down.
“So all those times you acted as you cared? You were just pretending?”
She just shrugged and tugged on my cuffs.
“As I said, I liked you. You were never supposed to get in my way. You should have just joined me.”
I tried not to snarl at her. No use getting her riled up when she literally held the keys to my freedom.
“How come they haven’t caught you yet?”
A sneer-like smirk spread across her lips.
“They’re too busy trying to catch bigger fish. This is the only time we’ve had an unfortunate accident.”
I almost laughed at the way she described the man’s murder.
“Plus, they’ve never interviewed me. Only this once.” Her tone was light and careless.
I glowered at her.
“Were you ever really my friend? You say you liked me but were you, my friend?”
I have to admit, this hurts a lot.
I didn’t have much time trying to think about it but all this talk was making me emotional and unprioritized.
Alice grabbed my chin and pulled me close to her face.
“Oh (Y/N), are you feeling insecure?”
She sounded like she was talking to a child. Slurring her words to sound babyish.
I ripped my chin out of her hand and she smirked.
It made me want to puke.
She chuckled evilly, causing goosebumps to spread across my skin as she grabbed at my cuffs and yanked. I flew to her but she was already walking.
I almost fell onto my face twice before I caught my balance as she dragged me to the door on the right.
Pausing outside of the door she turned to me.
“No. I wasn’t your friend. We had some fun times but I honestly thought your ‘pick me ups’ were annoying.” She said ‘pick me ups’ in a mocking manner and I flinched back.
“You were nothing but a. Pathetic. Useless. Little. Bitch. Someone to kill time with. Why do you think we stopped hanging out when you told me I couldn’t sleep with you?”
She sneered down at me before smirking coldly.
“I approached you because I thought you were hot. Just a flesh beg to fuck before I robbed the joint and found a new bitch. And you couldn’t even do that.”
Then, before I had any time to stifle the tears she pulled me out of the room.
Outside of the door was the vast night sky.
There weren’t any stars as the pollution of the city contaminated the atmosphere but the moon showed through the clouds brightly.
The city lights lit up the roads below.
“Where are we?” I asked as a shiver racked through my body.
It was cold up here.
We were on a rooftop and I could almost see the whole city.
A light in my peripheral caught my attention.
It was also on top of a building and it was bright enough to see the signal from where I stood, so far away they wouldn’t even hear me if I screamed as loud as I could.
“Batman…” I whispered to myself.
I was mesmerized with the bat in the signal, like a beacon of hope in my increasingly depressing day.
That is until Alice laughed at me.
“You really think he’s coming to save you? I told you before, they have bigger fish to fry. Why would they care, or even know to save you?”
Her mocking tone cut into my heart and I turned away from the signal, deciding to stare straight ahead.
“He’s not coming to save you,” Alice whispered into my ear but I refused to react.
She huffed and to my increasing horror dragged me closer to the edge.
I dug my feet into the ground as terror gripped my soul.
“W-What are you doing?” I stuttered through my yell as I yanked my body away from her.
She stared at me for a moment before a grin that came close to what I imagined Jokers to look like took over her features.
My eyes widened in horror as she pulled even harder.
She was way stronger than I anticipated and I flew forward. My foot hit the ledge and the only thing keeping me from falling is Alice.
“Please. Please. I’m scared of heights and I-Please!”
I sobbed and tears crawled down my cheeks before dripping below.
I stared into Alice’s eyes, but I knew, the maniac gleam they held told me everything.
She was going to let me fall.
The cuffs that were now biting into my skin and causing me terrible pain were my sole salvation as she gripped the chain connecting them and stared down at me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I couldn’t see what was below. So I put it out of my mind.
If I yanked my arms we would both fall.
I moved all my strength and concentration to my lower body, forcing my hips up and my feet to lay flat on the ledge.
It was a stretch but I put more pressure on Alice's arm and I pulled myself up. Now standing fully on the ledge, though still unbalanced.
She was momentarily stunned and I took the opportunity to tackle her to the ground.
We hit roughly but adrenaline shot through my veins and I swung my cuffed fists.
Hitting her in the face I drew back for another hit but her fist came up and struck me in the chin.
At the same time, she bucked her hips and I fell to the side.
Crawling on top of me she punched me in the face a few times before I hit her in the throat. She choked and I pushed her back.
Her head hung off the edge and blood from a cut that my cuff must have made dripped along her cheek.
A drop of red fell onto her face and I realized my nose was bleeding. I had a metallic taste in my mouth and a large amount of liquid.
She laughed at the sight.
“If I would have known all it took was to hold you off a building to get you on top of me I would have done it when we first met.”
In response, I sneered and spit onto her face.
Her expression twisted into a rage as the blood ran down the side of her cheek and dripped off onto the street below.
I watched it go and my body grew weak at the sight.
I was so caught up in my fear I let my guard down and Alice took the upper hand.
She flipped us over and I fell off the ledge.
Still, she held my cuffs, and the metal cut into my skin.
I stared up into her crazed eyes as my feet dangled.
I tried to grab her wrist but the cuff wouldn’t let me.
“Please.” I whimpered pitifully.
Alice seemed impressed at my accomplishment but the smug smile showed me how fruitless it was.
Anger snapped my mouth into action just as she stuck the key into the lock of the cuffs.
“You fucking bitch! I knew you were a sleazy motherfucker…”
Alice twisted the key.
“I hope you rot in hell!”
She smirked and brought her face as close as she could with our position. It was still closer than I would have liked.
“I guess I’ll see you there. And (Y/N), when you go splat across the pavement remember, it was your idiotic actions that put you there.”
Then she took the key out and my wrists slipped from the cuffs. I fell through the air yet I couldn’t scream.
It was like slow motion.
I saw Alice’s smirk permanently engraved into my mind and the ledge slowly covering her up. Swallowing her as I tumbled to my death.
As she disappeared the air whipped through my hair and tears lifted from my eyes.
Finally, I opened my mouth and screamed. It ripped through my throat, desperate and savage.
I clawed at nothing and the air slipped through my fingers like water. The lights and buildings sped past my vision, slipping into a haze of nothingness as I whisked through the air.
I closed my eyes for the impact.
But the impact never came.
Something hard yet soft hit my body and I was combing through the air different from before.
Instead of falling, I was swinging. Slowly I opened my eyes to see a large bat stamped across a broad chest.
Looking up I saw a man in a black mask. His mouth held a stern frown and his cape whipped behind him. He held on to me with one hand and a rope with another.
As I stared at his features I failed to notice we were heading straight to a building until he swiftly shifted so his back was to the window when we crashed through it.
The man that has saved countless civilians.
A human who runs with aliens and overpowered vigilantes.
This mysterious symbol of justice from Gotham was now saving my life.
It was Batman.