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girl wonder. epilogue
THE car ride is filled with the kids switching between bickering, singing together, playing games and eventually falling asleep.
By then, Dick has pulled into a gated driveway that's basically the size of Central Park. We're surrounded by perfectly cut hedges and fountains and after spending too much time driving into the property, a mansion comes into view. Well, calling it a mansion doesn't do it justice. It's a palace. I can picture the place by night, swarming with people like Jay Gatsby lives here.
When I glance at Dick, his face is troubled and that's all it takes for me to piece together who lives here. When I do piece it together, the air becomes thick and I find it hard to breathe.
Dick comes to a halt at the front double doors, which are unnecessarily tall. He stares at the mega-mansion for a while, eyes cloudy. He's pulled from his thoughts when a man in a crisp suit, which is for certain worth more than my entire being, appears.
"Holy shit. That's Bruce Wayne," I mumble. I'm close to muttering his alter ego name, but the kids would be awake before I could even finish saying it. I blink several times and I'm surprised when doesn't disappear.
Dick sighs, then turns to me. "I want you to meet him."
"M-me? What? No, that's an awful idea," I ramble. It's inevitable that I'll embarrass myself somehow. Not only that, but how do I act around Dick's father figure and also the man he has a certain grudge against, a grudge he won't tell me the cause of?
"Please," is all he says in a small voice. Those damn puppy dog eyes will be the death of me.
After another moment's consideration, I agree. Dick's face immediately lights up, but only slightly.
I pause before I can get out of the car, wondering whether I should ask Dick why he really left and why he refuses to get help from Bruce and why he refuses to even contact him. Then I remind myself that I'm not that person. He'll tell me when the time is right, if he feels he should tell me, and so I let it go.
Dick climbs out of the car and I'm just behind him as he approaches literally one of the most powerful men in the country. The thought compels me to run my hands through my hair, tuck it behind my ears, and straighten out my white leather jacket.
"Bruce, this is Natasha Santiago," Dick introduces me, voice full of pride, yet at the same time... discomfort? He barely looks Bruce in the eye when he speaks.
"Hi..." My voice barely comes above a whisper. He extends a hand towards me warmly and I shake it. His smile is so assuring. Something about his aura is so much more charismatic in real life. It makes you forget that he's not a perfect man. Quite the opposite, actually.
"She's my... partner," Dick says, though I hardly process his words. If it weren't for Batman standing in front of me and shaking my hand, I would be screaming into the void.
"It's an absolute honour to meet you, Mr. Wayne." I can't stop my voice from wavering as I speak.
When he chuckles, I think it's at me.
"It's great to meet you, Ms. Santiago. Dick doesn't let me meet very many people in his life, so you must be quite special."
My face burns up immediately, so I have no choice but to stare at the ground. "Wow..."
"Actually, she's a Doctor. Dr. Santiago," Dick corrects him, though I hadn't even realised he had addressed me incorrectly.
"My apologies," Bruce says, an impressed look on his face. He turns to Dick. "I assume Dr. Santiago's not the only reason why you've returned here after a year."
Dick's face becomes stoic and he straightens his back. "No. She's not." He leans close to me, whispering hesitantly. "Would you mind waiting in the car for a couple minutes?"
"Of course not," I tell him, smiling, though I avoid his eyes. It's hard to miss the paleness of his face and for a second I think that perhaps I should actually stay with him, but kicking up a fuss in front of Bruce Wayne is the last thing I want to do.
"I hope it won't be the last time we meet, Dr. Santiago," Bruce says to me. My stomach flips when he does. Does he think I'm reputable enough or does he just say that to everyone he meets?
"I hope so, too."
With that, Bruce and Dick enter the mansion and I return to the jeep to replay the entire two minute conversation in my head.
Partner? I'm Dick's partner. Does he mean girlfriend-partner or partner in crime-fighting? It can't be the former. We haven't even been on a date. Sure, we've slept together and there are feelings, but... We're just not there yet. Right? Right, I convince myself. Besides, he literally scouted me out so I could help him on his mission. That's the definition of a partner. Or something along those lines.
It's not long before Dick's back. He has a glimmer in his eyes, a hopeful determination.
