Batman Beyond - Burning Passion of Love

Spellbound

Batman Beyond 'Fan Fiction Story'

By Tayla Drago

Episode# 9 – Spellbound

Chelsea returns home from a date with her boyfriend, Rick. When he asks if she's all right walking alone the last few feet to her door, she says nothing ever happens around their block. Before reaching home, Chelsea notices a strange wind picking up and is approached by a man dressed in a strange costume. He tells her not to be afraid and shows her a large eye in his hand, inviting her to an 'adventure'. Chelsea stares into the eye and suddenly finds herself wandering through a jungle. She enters an ancient temple and picks up a small idol in the center. She then follows the strange man to a pool of lava and drops the statue down. In reality, she has entered her home, picked up a statue from her father's study, and dropped it off the riverbank outside her door. When her father confronts her, she snaps out of it and expresses confusion. Neither of them notice the man fly away with the statue in hand. Who was he...? For Gwen to be walking back home from food shopping for Bruce, she sees the man to make a run for it to have some fire sparks on the ground for the strange person in to suit to see.

"(A person in a weird tight outfit taking off with a statue?)" Gwen questions herself. "(And wasn't that Chelsea just a few seconds ago? She wasn't feeling like herself.)"

The next day, Terry talks to his friend Jared and notices Commissioner Barbara Gordon walk by. He follows her and eavesdrops on a conversation between her and Ira Billings, the school psychologist. Gwen catches up to Terry to have a word with him after bumping into Jared.

"Excuse me, Gwen." he was being a gentleman to her.

"Sorry, Jared." she said back. "Terry, hey. You just seen a lot of cops coming by just now? It looks like Uncle's Bruce's friend Commissioner Barbara Gordon is talking to someone, and about Chelsea doing something bad, its not like her."

Even her inner self says this...

"(Maybe she has a boyfriend getting trouble lifetime or something.)"

Terry sees where Gwen was getting at.

"And you told me you saw someone with Chelsea?" Terry asks Gwen.

"Yes I did. And I ran back home to Uncle Bruce just in case." she said.

Yep, those two might be on to something big. For Billings says that, in his expert opinion, Chelsea commits acts like this to get attention, and her 'mystery man' story is likely made-up as an excuse. Barbara accepts this explanation and leaves.

"I guess she made the whole thing up." said Barbara. "Thank you for your time Mr. Billings."

"And I'm sorry for the trouble."

An odd man to start working at Terry and Gwen's high school huh? But he does help other kids like Chelsea. But still, something was off about her dropping the statue to be under an illusion spell of some kind.

"Attention problems?" question Terry. "That's weird. I know Dana's friend and she would never do something to upset her parents by stealing."

"All I know is she has guy troubles, but she's very good in school..."

Just then, Billings sees Gwen to be feeling down to be the next patient to have cured. Gwen Grayson? Really?

"Why hello, Ms. Grayson. I notice you've been down the upset lately." he said. "Why is that? If you don't mind me asking you."

"Huh?" Gwen was lost. "Me? Oh, no. Sir, this is what I am all day. I'm fine with the people I know-!"

"Please, call me Billings." he smiles to shake hands with Gwen. "I can't help but have someone to talk to you about your problems, I can help. I'm a professional psychologist to help the teenagers on hard times or not feeling like themselves. Allow me to hear you out."