Child of the Dark Knite

Chapter 3 Dinner for Two

PRESENT DAY

"She never said to me what it was, but that you would know, and maybe forward it on to Batman." Lissa reached into her jacket pocket and handed the old man the black envelope.

He opened it and looked over its smooth surface. "A piece of a Bat- o-rang," he said. "How'd it break?"

"Not sure. She said that's how she found it."

He knew. He'd found the broken weapon in his belt that night, when he got home. He believed he still had it. Not really able to bring himself to part with it. "Continue," he said, tracing knarled fingers over the edges. Jennifer must have kept good care of it. There were no signs of decay, like some of his others in storage.

"Over the next few months, Batman would stop by to see my mother. Then one night..."

MAY 28, 2001

Jennifer sat in her room, as usual lately, pouring over books, notes, and lecture tapes. She hated finals. She had to do well. She had to, her whole future plans relied on it.

Her parents had gone out for dinner and a late show, leaving her alone to study. That is till a noise from the kitchen broke her concentration. 'Mom?' she looked at her clock. '9:47. No. They aren't due back till after 11 tonight.' She reached to her nightstand for the cordless phone, only to realize she'd left it in the living room, so it wouldn't disturb her. She got up and went to her door. The noise had stopped. She reached for the handle. 'Maybe they left. It's not like we have a lot to steel.'

"Jen? What is it?" cam a hushed voice.

"Dam it!" she gasped quietly. "Don't do that!" He always startled her when he visited.

"Sorry," he said, pressing his covered ear to the door. "I don't hear anything."

"It came from the kitchen."

"Hungry thieves. Stay here." During his previous visits, he'd wandered through the flat while her parents slept, often Jen would make him a sandwich, and a milkshake for Robin. He loved her double death chocolate. Anything chocolate went into it. Usually took the kid two hours just to finish it.

She never really listened to him. She followed him from her room, picking up a 10-loft driver, someone had left behind in the room. It was a nice golf club, a lefty too. Sometimes she'd catch her dad making like Tiger Woods, whacking an imaginary ball across the flat. Jen and her mom had planned to buy him the full set for Christmas. So far they were able to buy the bag; coincidentally monogrammed 'Richard' which was her father's name; and a putter. They were hidden under her bed right now.

Batman peered around the corner at the end of the hall. Nothing; no, something, behind him! He turned quickly and startled Jen, though she made no sound. He pointed back to her room, but she shook her head, brandishing the hefty club before her. 'Ok,' he though, 'Just watch where you swing it.' With Jen close behind, he made his way into the living room.

Suddenly something small leaped out of the darkness, and landed claws first on Jen's back. Screaming she grabbed the furry attacker and dropped it to the floor, chasing after it by striking the club across the floor. "Jen! It's ok," he said, shinning his light to a corner, and grabbing for the lethal sporting equipment. "It's just a cat."

"Nickadeemus!" she cried, picking up the cat by the scruff and dropping it out the apartment door. "Go home!" she closed and locked the door, trying to rub the scratch marks on her back. "Dam cat!"

"Not yours I take it."

"No. Dad hates cats. Nicki, as his owner calls him, crawls in through the vent shaft in the kitchen. Than makes like Cougoe and goes after anything that moves. A cat that thinks it's a rottweiler, very cute. Owe!"

"Let me see," She lowered the back of her shirt, for Batman to inspect the damage caused by the feline. "They're through the skin, but you'll live." He traced his fingers gently across her shoulders. Her skin was so soft. She kept her hair in a braided ponytail high off the back of her head. He stepped closer to her, gliding his hands down her arms. Then he helped slide her shirt back into place. 'No Distractions,' he thought. 'Have to stick to the plan.' When she turned to him, she was slightly flushed. He'd never touched her like that. "Didn't mean to embarrass you."

"No, no, it isn't that," but she could not continue.

"Come with me. I have something for you."

"I can't. I'm cramming for finals, I have to get back."

"You've been studying straight for nearly 2 months. You need a break. Come on, it isn't far."

"Oh, alright. Why is it I can't say no, and mean it with you?"

"I'm just that way." After checking to make sure no one was lurking in the hall, as lately a homeless man had been, she locked the door and followed Batman up the stairs to the roof. "Close your eyes." "But..."

"Please," he flashed a charming smile at her. A goofy look beneath that cowl of his. Obligingly she closed her eyes. He carefully led her out over the roof, and stopped her near the back corner. "Ok. Open."

When she opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw. A small circular table with white cloth, fine bone china place settingsstristrian crystal glasses, a vase of 24 of the reddest roses she'd ever seen, two tall candles (lit), exquisite silverware, two chairs, and a matradee. "Oh god," she whispered.

"Table for two sir?" asked the matradee, in his charming proper British accent.

"Yes, Mr. Pennyworth," he said, and guided her to her chair. The roof beneath the table was covered over by some kind of ply sheeting, to make it smooth, rather than the gravel that covered the rest of the roof. But over that had been placed a fine Persian rug, of bright reds and greens. It was gorgeous. The whole setting.

"I thought..."

"Things have been rather quiet of late," he said, sitting opposite to her. "I thought I'd take some time off, and treat you to dinner, instead."

"Cheatue Bourdo, sir?"

"Yes, thank you," He watched Jen's dumfounded expression. She'd surprised him on every visit before, with her kindness. She made them something to eat, mended the new tears in their clothes, even bandaged little Robin's knee at one time. Things she didn't have to do, but did them anyway. Now it was his turn.

She watched as the tall thin man poured the wine, then disappeared behind a row of planters and shrubs, then return with an antray of small cheese pieces and crackers with pâté on them. Batman and Jennifer somehow, earlier, got to talking about caviar, and he'd learned that she didn't like it, so pate was the next best thing.

"Dinner will be served shortly sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth."

"Where did you dig him up?" she asked over the wine. "He's fantastic. So proper."

"And I'm not?"

She smiled, oh how he loved that smile, sometimes he'd come just to see it. She just lit up the night for him. "You know what I mean. But forget I asked, it's prying into your life, and I promised not to do that."

"That's alright. Tonight, we just talk," though thugs had other ideas. Three of them leapt over the ledge kicking over everything, one of them grabbing her at the same time.

"You're the bitch who cracked Jerry's skull!!" he yelled, as others tackled Batman, though he quickly proved he was no match for them, tossing them aside like rag dolls. Mr. Pennyworth wasn't unacausted either, his dinner fell all over the roof, the small barbeque knocked over, he got so angry he took his frying pan in one hand, the $400 bottle of wine in the other, and didn't stop swinging till all were flat on the cobble stones.

His plans of a quiet dinner with her were ruined. He looked around the roof to find Jen struggling with one of the attackers, his weapon a syringe of clear liquid. "Jerry sends a present!" he said, trying to edge the needle closer to her skin.

"Get off her!" yelled Batman, slinging the man aside. "Jen, you ok?"

"Yeah, fine. So much for dinner."

"I'm so sorry sir."

"Not to worry," said Batman, slapping cuffs around the wrists of all the attackers. "Call Gordon, tell him he's got some trash up here."

"Very good sir."

"How'd they know?" he asked.

"Not hard," she replied. "I should have remembered. Jerry's gang has had someone camped out in the deserted building next door. Waiting for me to come up."

"Then they may have seen me & Robin come visit all those times."

"If they did they never said. I travel with a group to GU, & we pass by them everyday."

"I'll clean this up, I'm so sorry," he picked up the roses that didn't get crushed, and handed them to her, amazed that the vase they were in hadn't broken. "I wanted tonight to be..."

"I know. But you can't have everything."

He looked up as the bright light of the Bat Signal sliced through the night sky. "I have to go," he said.

"I know," she sighed, as Mr. Pennyworth returned to her side.

"I'll see the lady safely to her door, sir," he said. Batman made no indication that he heard her; he just leapt from the roof, swinging off into the night at the end of his bat line. "Not to worry, miss. He'll figure out something. He always does."

"Yeah," she sighed, "I know."