Chapter Text
The soft growls in the distance was what woke her, sending a cold shiver of fright through her small body. Blue eyes speckled with gold fluttered open and her entire body tensed as another rumble of thunder could be heard. Soft strands of pale silvery blonde hair fell over her shoulder as she sat up. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the room. She was in an almost unfamiliar bedroom.
A large bay window was at the other side of the room with seemingly heavy drapes covering it, but flashes of lightning peeked through the curtains and with each flash she could see the furniture in the room. A wooden oak bureau stood in one corner next to a walk-in closet, almost all the furniture in this room was made out of oak. Even her comfortable bed had a wooden oak frame and it was large. And on the nightstand next to her bed was an antique lamp with a stained glass lamp shade and next to the lamp was a framed photo of her and black haired blue eyed man whose hair was well-kempt despite a few strands that hung about his face. In the picture the man had an arm around her waist, and despite the grim expression on his face, there was warmth and kindness in his eyes and smile. The two of them were dressed up, like they had been married.
Seeing the picture sent a nervous flutter in her heart but she ignored it and just smiled, the smile slipping away at the third crack of thunder. The pale blonde quickly, and anxiously, rose off the bed and made her way to the door almost as if she were trying to escape the thunder.
Once she was outside in the hall, she gently shut the door behind her and carefully walked down the hall, with no destination in mind. She just couldn't sleep and the thunder was making her heart pound with fright. She knew she was in Wayne Manor, after all this was her home too. At least this mansion has been a home to her for the past few years ever since the Wayne Family Heir, Bruce Wayne had found her injured in the streets and took her home to nurse her injuries.
During the three years that she had stayed here she had grown close to the reclusive playboy millionaire. Only two years after having lived here, did Bruce propose to her and their wedding was a few months later.
Her footsteps were light and quiet as she walked down the dark hallway, making her way out of the west wing, at least what was considered the “Lady’s wing” according to Alfred and Bruce, and to the middle of the grand staircase that served the middle section, the heart of the second floor of the mansion. Being in the heart of the manor made her feel a bit of apprehension and fear, the thunder sounding more distant but she still felt the fear coursing through her body. Along with it was a chill in the air. Usually the mansion was kept warm but this particular area of the mansion always felt cold.
She shivered, covering herself with her arms, her fingers gently rubbing the skin on her arms in an effort to keep warm. Taking in a deep breath, she reached out with a hand and grabbed onto the banister of the stairs before descending to the grand hall of the first floor. Even the steps were cold beneath her feet but the woman continued until she reached the main hall, the so-called Grand Hall at the bottom of the steps. From each side of the step were a pair of two doors that led off into the back of the mansion. It was there where the living room or living den was and in the room to the left of it was where she knew Bruce would be.
The pale blond woman barely glanced at the crystal chandelier that hung overhead as she went through one of the large oak doors and stepped into the warmth of the living room. The fireplace in the living room was set, despite the fire only being a small but controlled blaze, but still no Bruce. She found herself pouting a bit and feeling disappointed at not seeing Bruce or the butler, Alfred anywhere. Though it had escaped her mind, she could have just pressed the button in her room to ring for Alfred, but she wasn’t about to make the elderly butler go from one end of the mansion to the other or walk up and down the steps just to tend to her needs (despite Alfred having said he was used to traversing the entirety of the mansion doing his duties). But Karina still found herself trembling as she held onto the handle of the door, her golden speckled blue gaze sweeping the room in case Bruce was pretending to hide from her to jump out at her.
Suddenly she heard a soft chime coming from the door across the living room and her heart jumped to her throat, fluttering in a mixture of fear and excitement. if they weren't in the study then the last place they were at would be the Bat Cave, the secret hide out of the Caped Crusader himself, Batman. Of course she knew Bruce was Batman, she had found that out early on in their relationship, almost as far back as when Bruce had first brought her back to the manor.
She had pretended not to notice he was Batman until he came back one night with a serious injury and as his normal civilian identity, Bruce, he had claimed he had fallen down the stairs while sleep walking when he noticed her worry. Bruce had quickly learned that Karina wasn’t going to be tricked like that.
Karina quickly crossed the living room and entered her husband’s study, half expecting him to be sitting there at his desk with Alfred standing nearby, offering a piece of advice or some tea. Bruce did have some late night paperwork to do for Wayne Enterprises once in a while, or plan a gala or a charity ball with the socialites of Gotham. But tonight as the thunder rumbled in the distance, she walked into the even warmer study with its small library of books lining one wall and an oak desk sitting in front of two large windows that were covered by some dark brown drapes. The windows and the skylight above would let in the sunlight during the day which would not only light up the study during the day but also make the room feel cozy and warm. The light at Bruce’s desk was on but Bruce wasn’t in the room, neither was the butler.
Karina drew in a shaky breath, willing herself to not cry. If they weren’t in the study then they had to be… her gaze flickered across the room, coming to rest on the small fireplace at the center of the room against the wall. While there wasn't a fire going in the study fireplace (there rarely ever was a fire going in here), she could still see the small switch just hidden behind the vase that sat on the fireplace mantel, covered by the flowers inside the said vase. Only those who weren’t distracted by Bruce or those who knew about him being Batman would notice the barely indistinguishable button hidden against the bricks that made up the base of the fireplace. Her mind immediately jumped to the fear of Bruce fighting some of his more dangerous foes, the Joker, Clayface, Killer Croc, or even The Scarecrow.
All of these fearful thoughts were taking over her mind, and it didn't help that some of the thoughts were fueled by her fear of thunder. In the vivid imagination of her mind she saw nearly all villains of Gotham City all smiling with glee, surrounding a captured Batman and slowly creeping towards him, their expressions and faces full of malice….
“Ms. Karina?” A elderly male’s voice broke through her fear-inducing imagination, calling to her from behind her. She quickly turned around to see a familiar gray haired older looking man with blue eyes. The man wore a suit made for a butler. Relief flooded through her body at seeing Alfred standing there, the former British spy having just come from the secret passage that led down to the Bat Cave. Her relief and joy was short lived as she saw what her husband’s family butler had on the tray he held in his gloved hands. The cold fear swept through her with greater force at seeing the first aid kit and the bloodied bandages on the tray.
Having noticed where her gaze had rested and seeing the fear in her eyes, Alfred quickly offered the girl a smile and spoke in a calm voice. “Don’t worry, Miss, Master Bruce was only stabbed in his side. The butler instantly cursed himself mentally at seeing the fear on Karina’s face increased. He let out a resigned sigh as Karina ran past him and into the cave passage that he had just come out of, disappearing into the darkness within.
“Damn it, Pennyworth, you should have come up with another excuse.” Alfred muttered, but his gaze went to the tray holding the first aid kit and bloodied bandages and he sighed again before walking off to dispose of the bandages, “Too late to stop her now.”