THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS
vi. SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET
❝STOP RESISTING, ANASTASIA.❞

"EVENING, MASTER BRUCE, LADY ANASTASIA," Alfred Pennyworth, as punctual as always, greeted them from the moment they had entered the manor. His words had gone unheard by Bruce as the man kept walking, but Anastasia paused to face the older man. Her eyes trailed after Bruce, watching as he walked up the stairs and disappeared down the hallway that led to their bedroom. Alfred didn't react, standing tall as he smiled at Anastasia.

She frowned, pretending as if she had not noticed the tension between the two men. It was best if she stayed out of their arguments, after all. "Evening, Alfred."

"Can I fix you something to eat, my Lady?" Alfred asked, clasping his hands together. She couldn't help but notice the slight tremble of his hands.

"No, I had dinner at Harvey's," Anastasia replied, letting out a small sigh as her thoughts wandered to Bruce again. She wondered if he had eaten, but it would be difficult to stomach something after the news about his parents. "Has Bruce had dinner?"

Alfred cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Not that I know of."

Anastasia hummed. "What about you, Al? Did you eat?"

"I did," he replied, giving her a warm smile. After a few moments of silence, Alfred gave her a quick bow as he took a step back. "I shall leave you to get ready for bed. If either you or Bruce need me, you know where to find me. Good night, my Lady."

"Good night, Alfred," she said quietly, watching as he walked off. He headed upstairs, turning to the opposite side of the manor than where Bruce had gone off in. With only the three of them, it was easy for all of them to have their own wing of the manor. Harvey had been right, the manor was too large for the three of them.

She headed up the stairs, wincing when an ache presented itself deep within her back. Perhaps, she had earned herself an injury or two without realizing during the skirmish at the Skyline Club. Eventually, she made it to the bedroom she shared with Bruce. She leaned against the doorway, watching as Bruce busied his hands with stress toys. Though, he seemed to be one the verge of popping it if Anastasia was being honest.

Anastasia cleared her throat, drawing his attention. "Wanna tell me what's going on between you and Alfred?"

"Nothing," Bruce answered a bit too quickly, putting the fidget toy away in the drawer before he turned his attention to his laptop instead. The blue light illuminated his features, especially the dark circles that embraced his blue eyes.

"Bruce, come on..." Anastasia mumbled, entering the bedroom as she closed the door behind her. Bruce could lie all he wanted, but his body took a toll from the stress he was under. She sat at the edge of the bed, staring at him. "Please, talk to me," she said softly, tilting her head to catch his gaze. "I'm here for you."

"He knew the truth about my father," Bruce mumbled bitterly, not looking up from the laptop as he continued to work. She sighed, realizing why Bruce had been so harsh and why Alfred didn't say a word. It didn't come as a surprise to Anastasia that Alfred would have known since the man had worked for Thomas Wayne for a long time. "After everything I had done for this city in the name of my parents," he scoffed, shaking his head as his jaw tightened. "It was all for nothing."

"You're nothing like your father, Bruce," Anastasia said, keeping her eyes focused on the man. For a moment, their gaze met but Bruce quickly looked away. He looked guilty, if Anastasia didn't know better. It made her think back to what Alfred had told her that morning about Bruce keeping secrets. Was he into something questionable as his father had been?

After some time, Bruce spoke again. "I don't blame Alfred for keeping the truth from me."

Anastasia nodded, listening intently. It was rare that Bruce opened up to her anymore, keeping himself locked away behind walls miles high.

"I only wish I had learned this from him and not..." Bruce trailed off, clearing his throat as he avoided her gaze again. He did that quite a bit, Anastasia noticed. He sighed, shaking his head. "I would rather not have learned it from the mouth of Jack Ryder on the evening news."

"I understand," Anastasia said, nodding her head as she offered Bruce a small smile.

It would take some time, but it was something they would heal from. The truth would always be bitter and being kept in the dark for so long was what hurt the most. But, now that the truth was out, Bruce and Alfred could begin the healing process. Especially Alfred, the man must have kept the skeletons hidden away in the closet for too long.

"Well, I've had a long day," Anastasia mumbled, stifling a yawn as she stood to her feet. All she wanted to do was clean off all the stress of the day before heading to bed. And, then do it all again tomorrow. She knew it wasn't going to be an easy day, but she wanted to forget it all even if it was just for the night.

Anastasia pulled out a pair of beige silk pajamas from the closet before she headed into the shower. She did ask Bruce if he wanted to join, but he had declined. Your loss, she had yelled out before she had entered the shower. A part of her wanted to run a bath and soak for an hour or two, but she decided against it. After all, it was likely she would have fallen asleep in the tub. It had taken her about half an hour before her fingers had pruned from the water and she had decided to get out.

She yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she slipped on her pink-striped top and pink pajama pants with dinosaurs on it. Next, she reached up on the counter to grab her toothbrush to clean her teeth. After all, she was prone to cavities from all the sugar she consumed. She didn't even want to think about all the trips to the dentist. Anastasia swore the dentist was the most terrifying place she had ever been. However, her thoughts were interrupted by shouting outside the door but she did her best to continue brushing her teeth. It was difficult to look into the mirror, considering it was too high up. Her father always told her that she would grow into her height.

Anastasia flinched, hearing something shatter beyond the door. She set down her toothbrush, wiping her mouth with one of the hand towels. Slowly, she approached the door before she pulled it open. The warm light from the living room hit her as an old rerun of one of her mother's favorite sitcoms played on the box television. She could only hear the voices from the television, making her frown as she stepped out.

"Mama?" she called out. When her mother didn't answer, Anastasia continued to speak as she smiled at the room. "I brushed my teeth like you told me to."

Only the TV answered back, a laugh track playing in the background as she walked deeper into the living room. Anastasia paused, hearing gasps for air somewhere in the room. Her footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent room as she approached the sound. She paused, noticing her mother sprawled out on the hardwood as she clutched her stomach. A pool of dark red blood surrounded her as she gasped, staring up at the ceiling.

"Mama!" the young girl shrieked, rushing to the woman's side as she kneeled beside her. Blood began to soak the young girl's pajamas, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she rested her head against her mother's chest. "M-Mama, what should I do?"

"R-Run, Ana..." Her mother gasped out, trying to push her daughter off but the young girl held a tight grip as she sobbed into her mother's clothing. "Please, he's coming. Ana, run."

She shook her head, not understanding as she stared at her mother's pained expression.

"Anastasia."

Her eyes snapped upward, facing her father who stood in the middle of the living room with blood staining his clothing. She stared, trying to make sense of the situation as tears blinded her vision. "P-Papa," she called out softly, holding her mother's hand as she tried to breathe. "Mama needs help. She... She's hurt."

He approached slowly, keeping his eyes on the young girl. Her mother tried to hold onto Anastasia, glaring at the man that came towards them. He held out his hand. "Anastasia, come here."

"No!" Her mother gasped, refusing to let go of her daughter as used the last of her strength to protect her. Her voice came out broken, barely audible as exhaustion began to take over. "You c-can't do this, W-William! Please, you can s-still fix this!"

"Anastasia." His voice was sterner, colder. It made the young girl flinch as a cold chill engulfed her shoulders before it began to spread throughout the rest of her body. It felt like something was trying to claw itself out of her, pleading with her to not listen. Her mind became blank as she listened intently. "Come here, now."

Anastasia pried herself away from her mother, ignoring the screams that left her mother's lips as she made her way to her father's side. She looked up at him, noticing his blank expression as he began to approach her mother. "Are you taking her to the doctor, Papa?"

For a moment, William paused. He looked at Anastasia's hopeful expression, giving her a small smile. "I want you to stand there and stay quiet, my darling," he said softly, nodding his head. She mimicked his action unconsciously, showing that she understood. Her father sighed, keeping his eyes focused on the young girl. "Just know that everything I do is because I love you. I only wanted to protect you."

Anastasia did nothing as she watched her father tower over her mother before his hands found themselves around her neck. She listened to the gasps that left her mother's lips as she clawed at her father's face, trying to escape. She wanted to scream, make her father stop the torment he was causing her mother. He was... He was killing her. But, she could do nothing but watch, motionlessly as not a single word left her lips.

When her mother had drawn her last breath, her father stood to his feet. He let out a shaky breath before he began to approach Anastasia. He kneeled in front of her, using a blood-stained hand to wipe away the tears that marred her skin. "It's alright, Anastasia," he said softly, giving her a smile as he pulled her in for an embrace. She sobbed into his shoulder, gazing at her mother's unmoving figure over his shoulder. "I know it hurts to lose your mother. Charlotte was an amazing woman and she loved you very much."

"You... You killed her..." Anastasia whispered softly, finding it difficult to look at him as she pulled away from his embrace.

He shook his head, placing a hand on her cheek as he forced her to face him. "I did not kill your mother," he whispered softly, making her pause as her head began to pound. It felt as if it was going to split open as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Your mother was very sick, Anastasia."

Anastasia shook her head, unable to forget the murder that had played out in front of her. "No... You killed her..."

Her father sighed, reaching into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief as he wiped away the blood that streamed out of Anastasia's nose. "It wouldn't hurt if you complied," he mumbled softly, rubbing her temple with his spare hand as he kept the handkerchief pressed against her nose. "Stop resisting, Anastasia."

"M-Mama..."

"Mama is gone," William snapped, making the young girl wince at his harsh tone as stared at him. He cleared his throat, letting out a heavy sigh as he wiped away the blood. "Your mother was sick. It was leukemia... No, wait," he said softly, thinking about it as Anastasia clung to every word. "It was a brain tumor, one that we didn't catch till it was too late. I blame myself for what happened... For not catching it sooner, but it wasn't my fault."

Anastasia shook her head. "It wasn't your fault, Papa."

"We did everything we could," her father whispered, wiping away the remaining tears on her face. "Insurance covered next to nothing and we couldn't afford to pay ten grand a month out of pocket for her treatment. The cancer killed Charlotte Lovejoy. Tumor on the left side of her brain and it kept growing till it killed her."

Her mind screamed at her, making her clutch her head as she fell out of her grasp. Her vision had gone black as false memories began to implant themselves in her mind, no matter how hard she tried. And, the pain made the young girl feel as if her head was going to explode. It felt as if she had the tumor growing rapidly in her brain as it prepared itself to strike. Her mother, dead in their living room, began to transfer into a hospital bed. Her memories began to rewrite themselves, but she did her best to focus on her mother's corpse.

Her father killed her mother.

William Lovejoy killed━━

The tumor killed her mother.

Her mother was sick, very sick. She fought hard, but it killed her in the end.

But, that wasn't the truth. Her mind tried to cling to what was real and what was the illusion, trying to remember the sight of her father murdering her mother. But, cracks began to appear in her mind as the false memories began to set in place.

Anastasia's eyes welled with tears as she faced him. All she could see was him strangling her mother, but still he tried to rewrite her memories. "Please don't hurt me," the young girl pleaded, hoping her father would come to his senses. "Papa, please."

"Stop resisting, Anastasia," her father warned, towering over her as he frowned at her predicament. She couldn't see him through blurred vision, but his voice echoed in her ears. "Stop resisting. Please, darling, I don't want to hurt you."

All she could do was scream as she clutched her ears, refusing to let go of reality. But, despite her efforts, the truth had been rewritten and locked away behind walls she could never break. Still, Anastasia tried to keep her mother's last moments in her mind.

Do not forget, Ana. Your life depends on it.

But, she did forget. It was as if the memory didn't exist as it faded into the back of her mind and Anastasia was left with the pain. Charlotte Lovejoy was sick, very sick. And, it was that same sickness that killed her.

"Ana?"

A voice called out to her, making her frown. It couldn't be her father. He always called her Anastasia, never Ana. But, she didn't dare open her eyes in fear of seeing her father's steel gray eyes. There was never any color to them, never any emotion. She kept her eyes, praying the pain would fade as it clawed at her inside. It felt as if it was crawling out of throat after making it's home in her chest and mind.

"Snap out of it, please," the person said, reaching out to her as they shook her trembling form. "Ana!"

Her eyes snapped open, watching as the living room of her childhood faded into the bedroom she shared with her husband. She couldn't breathe, pushing away the person who was holding onto her as she backed herself into a corner. Anastasia covered her ears to block out all the voices, squeezing her eyes shut as she sobbed into her knees. Her mind scrambled to find a reasonable explanation to what had happened. The last thing she remembered was exiting the shower before her mind went blank. Her hands were stained with blood as she wiped at her nose and mouth, trying to catch her breath as she frantically looked around the room. Finally, her darting eyes found Bruce.

"It's me, darling," he said softly, approaching her slowly as he kneeled before her. Gently, he placed a hand on her knee as he gauged her reaction. He waited patiently before he tried to comfort her again. When she didn't pull away, he slowly reached forward brushing a finger against the blood. Her head pounded, making her close her eyes as a few more tears escaped. "Hey, you're okay, you're safe," he said softly, placing a gentle hand against her cheek. "I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you, Ana. You're safe, I promise."

"Bruce...?" His features became more prominent to her as the haze over her mind began to fade. Anastasia had to remind herself that she was in her bedroom and it was Bruce in front of her. She wasn't able to get another word out as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the man, sobbing into his shoulder. His hand found her back, rubbing in slow circles as he returned the embrace.

"What happened?" he asked softly, not pulling away as he kept her in his lap. She stared beyond into the room, keeping her head on his shoulder as she tried to focus on the beat of his heart. With her ear pressed up against his neck, she could hear the fast yet steady beat. She could see she had stained his shirt red, but he didn't seem to care. He continued to hold her close. "I heard you sobbing in there and..."

"I... I... I don't know what happened..." It was all she could muster up to say as she shook her head, trying her best to remember what had happened after her mind had gone blank.

"Was it a panic attack?" Bruce asked, wanting to know more about what had happened. If he knew exactly what occurred, he would be able to help her better. She shook her head, knowing it wasn't a panic attack or anything similar. Bruce frowned, trying to get more information. "You were clutching your head? Does it hurt? Are you in pain?"

"It wasn't anything," Anastasia mumbled numbly, pulling herself out of his grasp. She stood to her feet, trying to ignore how the world swayed. Bruce stood too, holding out his hands to steady her as she leaned against the wall. "I've had a long day..." she said, seemingly trying to convince herself as she refused to look at him. "I had a moment of weakness. That's all, Bruce."

"I should call a doctor," he said, keeping his steel-blue eyes focused on her. She paused, hearing the mention of a doctor. She didn't want to see a doctor, but even she knew how strange that episode was. "Your nose shouldn't be bleeding like that, Ana. I want to make sure it isn't something serious."

"It isn't," Anastasia snapped, sending him a glare as she tried not to focus on her blood that stained his hands. "Please, Bruce, they're just going to say that it's stress. After the day I had, I think having a mental breakdown fits perfectly."

Despite his better judgment, Bruce went along with Anastasia. He nodded, sighing deeply as he led her toward the bed. Carefully, he helped her in before he wrapped the blankets around the woman's trembling form. "If this gets worse, you'll have to see a doctor," Bruce warned, giving her a stern look. He didn't want to fight with his wife, but he wasn't going to ignore her health either. "No exceptions, Ana."

"It won't get worse," she reassured, opening the drawer on the end table to pull out a set of wet wipes. She usually used them on nights she would be too exhausted to get out of bed to remove her makeup. Quickly, she wiped away any blood that lingered on her skin. Her headache had begun to fade the more she ignored what had just happened. "Just let it go, Bruce, please."

Bruce only sighed, nodding his head. "For now."

She watched as he changed his shirt before turning off the light, plunging the room into darkness. However, the moonlight began to slowly fill the room. Bruce got into the blankets with her, laying down silently as he stared up at the ceiling. It surprised her that he didn't need to finish up any late night work, considering it always took him hours before he was prepared for bed. Yet, he was prepared to say goodbye to the long and grueling day they had.

Despite her best efforts to sleep, she had stared up at the ceiling for hours as Bruce slept peacefully beside her. Usually, it was the other way around since her husband suffered from insomnia much worse than she did. She stole a glance at him, letting out a heavy sigh. Quietly, she slipped out of bed before she left the room. Most of the lights of the manor were turned off, but Anastasia knew her way around with her eyes closed. She headed into her office, closing the door behind her before turning on the lights.

The computers and most of the files had been taken away by the GCPD as evidence, making the office feel empty as she sat at her desk. The office was a mess, considering files were scattered all over the place from the haphazard job done by the police. It would take hours to sort through everything. A sigh left her lips as she pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on top. There was a chill in her office, despite the windows being closed. She couldn't help but notice how drastically her life had changed. The size of her office used to be the size of the apartment she grew up in. She had never imagined living in a home as massive as Wayne Manor.

She sighed, deciding it would be best if she cleaned up to make things easier for herself later. Picking up the documents off the ground, she began to file them away in their respective cabinets. It took her about fifteen minutes to get everything put away, but she paused when she picked up documents she hadn't touched in a long time. Her parents' death certificates weren't something she pulled out often. The last time she had needed her father's death certificate was when transferring Lovejoy Corp into her name.

Anastasia stared at them, noticing the dates of their deaths and the causes. Her mother had died from complications during the brain surgery. Her father had died under mysterious circumstances. His cause of death was exsanguination, but it was still uncertain how that had happened. She had been there when it happened, but the memory was no gone. Her doctor said trauma had caused that part of her mind to forget. She held her mother's certificate to the light, noticing the word VOID written all over within the paper. She did the same thing to her father, noticing the same thing. She had always thought she had the originals. But, these ones were copies and that meant they could have been altered.

Something wasn't right.

She could feel it in her bones. And, that was why she wrote down the medical examiner's address. It was where the documents had been created and perhaps... It was a long shot, but she hoped to find answers there to questions she didn't know yet. But, all Anastasia knew was that she couldn't trust her memories. If Falcone was telling the truth about the Lovejoys and Waynes, Anastasia needed to know more. And, perhaps, the office still had documentation regarding their original examinations.

"Ana, darling?" Bruce's voice startled her, making her jump when she noticed him standing in the doorway. He seemed concerned, stealing a glance at the clock on the wall. His voice was laced with sleep, sounding deeper than it usually did. "What are you doing up so late? Come to bed."

"I couldn't sleep..." Anastasia confessed, tucking the certificates away into the cabinet before she closed it. She approached Bruce, giving him a small smile. "I was cleaning up. Making sure the GCPD didn't take more than they should have."

"After the news, I think they'll be keeping our stuff for a little longer than usual," Bruce sighed, shaking his head as he leaned against the doorway. He was quiet for a moment, keeping his eyes on the ground at their bare feet. "I'll ask Gordon tomorrow. I'm heading to the GCPD in the morning."

"Why?"

"I need to speak to Falcone," Bruce confessed, making Anastasia wrinkle her nose at his words. She didn't know what to think about Bruce's meeting with Falcone, considering she would never willingly go meet that man. He seemed to realize what she was thinking. "I know what you're thinking, but I need answers, Ana. I want to know exactly what... crimes... my father committed."

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked softly, wanting Bruce to know she always had his back if he needed her. After all, they had taken a vow to support one another no matter what life threw at them.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Bruce answered, shaking his head. "I don't want that man anywhere near you, especially not after what he did."

Anastasia nodded, knowing there was no changing Bruce's mind. And, she had her own business to attend to and it would be easier to do some research if Bruce wasn't there. She couldn't tell him what was going on. No, she needed to figure out the secrets of her life on her own. "Promise me you'll tell me what Falcone said?" Anastasia said, looking up at him. "You don't need to go through this alone. I'm here for you."

Bruce nodded. "I promise, I will.

"Okay, then," she whispered, taking his hand as she began to lead him back toward their bedroom. "Long day ahead of us. Are you ready for what Gotham is going to throw at us?"

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not as if we have a choice."

♡

CHAPTER SIX, LET'S GO. I have mixed feelings about how I feel about this chapter, but I am going to let all negative feelings go. I think the reason this chapter feels off to me is because it was technically supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but I split it in half. So, it is shorter than the others! But, it's okay because 4000 words is still a decent size. But, I'll probably go back in sooner or later to add details here and there! As of right now, this is the draft that I will be posting because I told myself that we're going to keep moving forward with books and not dwell on something for too long.

SO, WE'VE GOT OUR FIRST REAL LOOK AT WILLIAM! I added that flashback because I wanted to show what truly happened with Ana's mother, Charlotte's, death since there might be some confusion with how I wrote about it earlier. So, William did kill Charlotte but I haven't revealed the reason yet! As for William, we got a look at his powers! They are very similar to Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. He is able to control / influence people and their lives with his words. Ana is definitely a victim of this, considering she doesn't remember a thing from her past.

She may have had that flashback, but it immediately began to fade as she came back to reality. Her father's powers are still working on her, so she can't properly remember. A lot of her past is still hidden and there's a reason why Ana is the way she is because she's been through a lot. Slowly, we'll figure out more! I am trying to write this more as a mystery, but I don't think I'm doing such a good job. But, I'm excited to have Ana team up with the likes of Batman and a few other very special characters!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter though! I have the next chapter outlined completely, but nothing written yet. So, it might be June till we get another update. Work has been keeping me very busy and I have been constantly exhausted, even while writing this author's note, I am half asleep. But, hoping to get more writing done for this book asap!

AMARA.
[ PUBLISH DATE ━━ 05.26.2022 ]