The Black Rose (a Batman fanfic)

Chapter Six: Suit Up

*1 week later*

Rose's cell phone began to ring, and she answered.

"Rose Wayne." She droned.

"Miss Wayne, this is Mr.Fox. It's ready. Shall I send it over?" He asked.

"Yes, please!" Rose said excitedly but quickly composed herself, "I mean, yes, of course."

"It's on its way now." He assured her.

"Thank you, Mr.Fox. I owe you one."

"Anytime, Ms.Wayne."

Rose hopped up from her desk where she had been sitting watching cat videos on YouTube and ran down the stairs.

"Hey, Alfred! If a package comes, it's for me!" She called toward the kitchen.

"I'll watch for it, Rose," he answered through the door.

"Thanks!" She called as she climbed the stairs.

A suit of her own was almost here. Soon, she would be able to take care of the Joker herself.

-

The doorbell rang, and Alfred answered. A man handed him a clipboard with "Wayne Enterprise" on the back, which Alfred found odd. He signed for it, and the man rolled the package inside.

"Rose, it's here!" He shouted as he closed the front door.

Her footsteps echoed down the hall as she ran towards his voice. She skipped every other stair and jumped the last four.

"Well, I can see you're excited." He chuckled.

"Yeah," she smiled, "But Alfred, you can't tell Dad about this. I trust you."

With those words, Alfred had no choice but to seal his lips.

"I won't tell a soul," he assured.

"Good," she said as she began to open the box.

She pulled out all the pieces of her new suit*. It looked like Fox had thrown in some extras like a pouch that you could attach to the belt, a few throwing knives, and a thigh holster.

"Where did you get all this?" Alfred questioned, slightly in shock.

"Mr. Fox helped me out. And remember, you promised not to tell Dad. I don't want him to have a panic attack."

-

Thwack! The sound of knives hitting the target echoed around the Batcave. With each throw, Rose got better. The blades slowly made their way toward the center of the target until they were in a small cluster in the middle.

Rose smiled at her newfound skill. The knives even matched the suit. The handles were black with green-tinged blades. Flawlessly balanced, the knives were made to perfection, and Rose loved them. Rose threw the last knife, and it landed dead center.

She then removed all the knives and placed them in her belt pouch. Thankfully, the knives were small and light. They fit easily into the pocket.

Next, it was time for some gymnastics practice. Rose had convinced Bruce to add some gymnast equipment to the Batcave. It now had a balance beam, rings, a few parallel bars, and a large padded area with trampolines.

The balance beam was Rose's first stop. She needed to make sure the suit wouldn't put her out of balance. With both hands on the beam, Rose swung her legs up and sat down on it.

The beam was cold and slightly damp, but it would work. She stood up carefully and placed her hands at a ninety-degree angle. After a few steps, she shot up her legs and did a handstand. Well, it would have been if her hands hadn't slipped. She landed face-first into the beam, followed swiftly by the rest of her.

"Ouch"

Rose then realized that she probably should have wiped it off first. She righted herself, decided that beam time was over, and moved on to the bars.

The bars were dry and sturdy. She placed herself at the end of the mats and began running. She sprang up, caught the first bar, and began swinging her legs. Gracefully, she moved to the second one and did a handstand on it. She had all the poise and brilliance of an Olympic athlete.

Satisfied with her workout, Rose exited the Batcave. The smell of sweat and dampness lingered around her as she entered her room. She removed her suit, showered, and changed into her everyday black outfit.

After slipping into her new clothes, Rose crept into the library. She opened the heavy oak door and stepped into the dimly lit room. It smelled of old paper and cigars, reminiscent of Bruce's grandfather. Rose never met him, but that's what she imagined he smelt like.

Directly in front of the doors laid a gigantic fireplace and two large armchairs. They were a deep burgundy color and looked extremely soft.

After removing another of her favorite books, "Tale of Two Cities," from the shelves, she nestled down into one of the chairs and began reading. It was only a few moments before her eyelids drooped, and she was asleep.

-

"Rose! Dinner time!" Alfred called from below, sounding slightly worried.

The noise stirred Rose awake, reviving her from her nightmare. She set the book down and picked herself up from the comfy seat. She shut the doors to the library and headed down the carpeted hallway towards the stairs.

Unlike the carpet, the marble steps were cold on Rose's toasty feet. The chill sent a shiver down her spine, and she considered going back up for slippers but pressed on anyway.

The dining room door swung open, allowing Rose to see into it. Bruce was nowhere to be seen. As usual, he missed dinner.

"Dad's out?" Rose asked Alfred, already knowing the answer.

"Of course," he answered.

Rose sat dejectedly at the table, wishing Bruce was here more often. Alfred set a plate of Chicken Alfredo with broccoli in front of her, then took a seat across the table.

Her fork prodded and poked the meal, despite it being her favorite. Her mind drifted to her nightmares of Ashlee and The Joker's crimson smile. It was always the same horrible dream over and over.

"I'm going to bed, Alfred," she said, pushing away her full plate, "I don't feel like eating."

And with that, she climbed up to her room.

She sat down on her bed before lying down. She stared at the ceiling as she pondered her thoughts. Her mind began to wander back to Ashlee.

-

*same suit as pictured in the last chapter