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The truest understanding of reality was knowing that there was never going to be a normal life for her. Elaine was one of many people on this vast planet that just so happened to have the most unfortunate timing. She wouldn't say that it wasn't completely her fault for getting herself into a situation she didn't understand. Even if she really thought about it she would want to blame her abilities.
Being able to see into the future should be able to negate her from certain terrible situations but it was selective. She can see every possibility and even if she did it didn't mean that she understood it. Some visions could be about her while others had nothing to do with her. That is exactly how she ended up in the situation falling in love with a man that clearly didn't love her the way she loved him.
Gnomon. A menace of a man. An immortal being that had the abilities to manipulate light as he wished. So much to the extent that she should have realized that his manipulation ran deeply. It wasn't just a simple manipulation it was mind control even as far as to say brainwashing. Elaine had moments that even now she looked back she could say in confidence that she did love him and it was her emotions for him.
However there were definitely moments where she couldn't quite tell if it was her or him. That thought, that very process scared her. Not knowing what emotions were hers and what weren't. It even fell a little further than downhill once she realized that she was pregnant. Pregnant with his child.
There was no denying that she was happy and she thought that he would be happy to maybe having a little more empathy towards their child. But though she should have realized the moment that she told him, that was the entire plan. He didn't want a child, he wanted a tool, one that would have to rely on him for the rest of eternity. He knew that she could run away easily if she saw the right future but their child wouldn't have the same opportunity. Not if she stayed.
So she did what she thought was best and she ran.
Elaine wasn't influential or rich or even that well connected. She was a simple woman on her own who made a very terrible decision but one that she didn't quite regret. She could blame herself for her past mistakes but she would never blame the child that she was soon to give birth to. The mighty force of one so clearly easy to love. There was no way she could blame him.
So Elaine made a plan one that she clearly stuck to as she got married to a man named Douglas and he took her and their child in. She couldn't quite tell him everything as it would put him in more danger but all Doug needed to know was that Duke's father was a dangerous man. Doug knew and he didn't care. Honestly she would say this was the love that she thought she had and to actually receive it made her feel special.
Eventually she gave birth to her lovely little star. Duke Thomas, there were some worries that she had well before his birth the one she saw him well it was everything to her. It seemed that his biological father's genetics didn't even try, not that she was complaining but she did find it amusing that he took after her. A strong baby boy, one that she could see the future was going to be bright for him.
There were definitely going to be a lot of trials and tribulations eventually when he found out about his origins. Ones that she will have to eventually confess to him but for now she wanted to give him as normal as a childhood. He deserved the bare minimum and not being put through torturous endeavors but to him some good. Duke needed to be loved so much so that he would never side with a man that doesn't know what love is.
Love was unconditional and he was never going to be treated as some sort of prize. He was just a child one that didn't know any better and perhaps it was her fault for being so lenient with him. But she still gave him scoldings for normal kid things that made him seem normal. Her husband clearly thought that Duke was just an average kid and that there was nothing else tied to it.
Elaine didn't like that she had to lie to both of the loves of her life but the bare minimum was all they really needed to know. She had no family outside of them, Doug had a family but they lived in the south. Duke was proud and rambunctious but above all else he was unpredictable. The unpredictability was something that would probably save his life in the future.
So as she raised her baby boy from diapers to his early preteen years it was relatively normal. But then she started to see the signs of early stages into his non-human life. It all started when he randomly saved a man from a hurricane, they spotted someone being washed away and Duke pointed him out. At first she thought it was just one of those caring situations where he was worried about someone else. Then she saw who it was.
Bruce Wayne was infamous even if he didn't really like showing it. He could be popular to the masses and somewhat of a dense idiot but he was nowhere near close to that. A dense idiot doesn't keep a billion dollar company afloat especially as the CEO. His name was everywhere on the dark side of the world, if someone underground hasn't heard his name then they would justifiably be lying.
Elaine wanted to avoid him if all possible but being in his good graces would also do her son some favors. It was an underhand detected she knows but saving his life would at least put them in his good graces. If he eventually runs into her ex or Duke's father in this dance at least Duke would have some sort of protection. After all it was almost common knowledge that the Waynes and the bats were close allies.
However having that type of greed or even getting that type of offer always meant that bad luck was not that far away from it. She knew that there was always a price to pay for something good. It was just her luck for dealing with the Wayne family member. Because soon enough something that she couldn't see happened. They became targets to the Joker.
It wasn't something that she could predict but it was obvious. Even if she knew that her face and her husband's were essentially sealed there was one thing. Her son would be fine. She had confidence that her son would be fine. If she had the chance before everything went wrong she would have said sorry to Duke. Sorry that this was the way he learned about his future endeavors and apologies that she couldn't be there to guide him along.
In all honesty maybe he will forgive her later but if he doesn't she can quite blame him.