I... I have a daughter?
Bruce POV-
I was shocked at what Alix and Kim told me when Jason sped off with Chloe and Nino. I didn't know why to think, what to feel, much less what to say.
Marinette Larae Dupain-Cheng was my biological daughter. My flesh and blood. A daughter that I had no idea existed or was much less mine.
She and Jason were adoptive siblings. Apparently Sabine Cheng, Marinette's mother, had adopted him from the streets when he was 6, and I noticed that Tom Dupain had not signed the adoption papers for him, but only Sabine did. So Jason was adopted before I had adopted him, and I hadn't known about it. Then again, I didn't know anything about his past. I was a bit hurt that he hadn't told me about it, but I suspected he had his reasons. None of my other boys knew about his past, either, and Dick had a hurt and murderous expression on his face as the teenagers in front of us explained about Marinette and Jason's pasts- Jason's past as much as they know about him as a Cheng-, and he had Jason's gun in his hand. Tim looked shocked and angry, and Damian was zoned out with a katana in his hand as he silently listened to the story.
Sabine, who had been a friend of mine, was murdered by Tom, her husband, and they said that he was abusive in every way and that he was abusing my daughter. Mari told them that Tom would abuse Jason as well, and that he would always fight to protect her from the man, even though he would get beaten and hurt worse than Mari and Sabine for it. Tom was abusing Mari because she wasn't his daughter, but mine instead. He had murdered my friend in front of her-our kids, and he kept hurting the two of them and blaming Mari for it, even though none of it was her fault. He would even hurt Jason when Sabine took him in because he would fight back and stand up against the baker and protect his little sister from him, Sabine as well, though he would almost always fail, but he kept going, no matter what happened to him.
I was horrified, but proud of Jason with all my heart. He truly was a natural born hero, whether he wanted to admit it or not. But I was horrified for Marinette and Jason. I couldn't believe that they had been through all of that, and that Mari was still forced to go through it, with lout anyone to protect her. Her friends couldn't do much, not like Jason was able to do for her.
I felt like a monster for not knowing about Marinette. Oh my god, I felt horrible. This was all my fault. How the hell would I ever be able to make it up to Mari, or Jason for that matter? I wondered why he never told me about her, but I would ask him later.
"This... this is all my fault," I whispered, my face pale. Sabine hadn't been with Tom when I was friends with her. We had gone to a bar after going to a party, and both got drunk, to drunk to be sensible. If I had known that I had gotten her pregnant, then maybe she would still be alive. Marinette would have never had to get hurt by Tom, Jason either. If I had known, then I could have prevented all of this. My friend would still be alive, and Mari would still have a mother. Jason would still have a mother. They wouldn't have been torn apart, and they would have been protected if I had known about them.
What have I done?
"I-I didn't know... she... she was my friend... Sabine's dead... why didn't she tell me about Marinette, or Jason? I could have done something, kept them safe...I-I have a daughter? Are you- are you sure?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around this, still in shock. Alix nodded. "We've been trying for years to get LB to tell you, but she kept refusing." She said with a sigh as I stood up and started pacing, running my hand through my hair. "We found out in 3rd grade when our class did an ancestry project. Ever since we have been trying everything to get her to tell you, trying to get her out of Paris and away from Tom, but she's too stubborn. Every time we bring it up, she says the same damn thing, every. Single. Time." She said, just as Kim pulled out his phone and played something.
"It doesn't matter what I want, Alix. I'm not going to tell Bruce that he's my biological father, and that's final." A girl's quiet voice said with a tone full of warning and dark authority that made me shiver. Even my boys looked shocked and uneasy at the tone of their little sister. I tried not to imagine what facial expression she had. I would be proud if it could make someone shiver at, even a fraction of the batglare.
"Give me one good reason why you shouldn't, LB." Alix's voice challenged with irritation.
"I'll give you 4, Stopwatch: 1, he already has 8 kids that he chose to have in his life. 2, dropping in on him out of the blue would not only be rude and uncalled for, not to mention the disrespect of it, but it is not okay for someone to do that. 3, you have to think of the position that I would be putting Dad- Bruce into, that I would be putting ALL of them into if I said anything. And 4, what about Tom? Let's say I do tell Dad that I'm his biological daughter, and he takes me out of here and let's me live with him, and my adoptive siblings all accept me into the family, hypothetically. Tom would be furious. He said that I am not allowed to leave Paris for any reason, and that if I did, then he was going to go kill the rest of my family, just like he did with mom, and just like he did with JayJay. I can't leave, Alix. People- the only family I have will be murdered because of me if I even think about it, and that's IF they want me to be part of their family.
"Who would want someone like me to be in a family like the Wayne's? I mean, look at them, and look at me: the Wayne's are-are elegant, powerful, and strong, not to mention that they can bring people to their knees with their looks, or own an entire room and make it go silent when they enter a room or building. They're-they're freaking perfect, and all of them look like models!! Hell, they probably are, just to spite my brain. See, you see all of that authority in just how they walk, and then you see me, who can't do anything right by any means, is clumsy and trips on her own damn two feet, has too many insecurities, hates herself and has severe depression and anxiety, someone who wishes they could have a normal life, where I have a dad who isn't abusive like Tom, a mom who was still alive and as sweet as mom was, parents that never fought and screamed at each other, never hurt each other, and a brother that never got hurt by fighting Tom all the time to protect my ass because I was too fucking weak and scared to stand up for myself, or a brother that Tom didn't kill because he tried to stop him from taking me from him. I know what Tom is capable of. I've lived with him for 16 years, which were a hundred times worse than hell itself, mind you. He's capable of anything he puts his mind to, and no one can stop him. I have to stay here with him, and stay away from the Wayne's. He already doesn't like that I'm friends with you guys." She quietly said.
There was a split second pause, and this time Chloe's voice spoke. "But Maribug, Bruce can get you out of here, and put Tom in prison for the rest of his life. He can protect you-" She was cut off by Marinette. "So what if he can?! That doesn't mean he'll want to, and that doesn't mean he should waste his time on someone like me, Chloe! He's a billionaire with a family of his own that he takes care of, kids that he CHOSE to take care of! Bruce doesn't need a burden like me with problems that even I can't handle to take care of. I'm trying to save them by staying away from them. Why can't you see that?!
"Tom MURDERED my mother. He MURDERED MY BIG BROTHER. Mom and Jason DIED BECAUSE OF ME, and Tom GOT AWAY WITH IT. I watched him beat my mother to death and slit her throat, and I watched him do Jaybird the same way, and I was POWERLESS to stop him from killing my family, the only people who actually gave a shit about me in Gotham. Don't you get it? IM A FUCKING CURSE! The people I care about are the people that I always lose. The people I love are the ones that never stay, and it's my fault!
"Why do you think I don't talk? Why do you think I don't get close to anyone? Why do you think I stay away from people? Because all I bring is death, pain, and evil, no matter how hard I try to do the right thing, and I'm just TIRED. I'm sick of Lila and her bullshit lies about me, I'm tired of Adrien and his toxic relationship he's forcing me to stay in, I'm tired of almost dying every time I do the slightest thing wrong, or if I breathe the wrong way. I'm sick of Paris, I'm sick of people, I'm sick of our class, I'm sick of our school, I'm sick of trying to change myself just to please others, I'm sick of changing who I am just to try and stay alive, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm...im just EXHAUSTED. I'm at the point where I don't care. I don't care about anything anymore. God, I don't fucking know how to be a normal person, to be myself, or to not live in fear, always looking over my shoulder because of Tom, and Adrien, and Lila. I'm tired of being stressed out all the time, and I just need out. I need...."
She trailed off for a moment, then continued. "It doesn't matter. I don't matter as much as the lives of an entire family in America, a famous rich family for that matter. They are more important than me, and I'm trying to keep Tom away from them as much as I can. I can barely keep him from coming after you guys.
"Besides, it's just like Tom said: children are meant to be seen and meant to be worked, not heard and our own thing. We're supposed to do as our parents say. That's the only way I can barely satisfy him. Even that doesn't stop him from slamming my head through a wall sometimes, but at least it works when there are guests over and he's not drunk. I'm surviving on my own, but I don't want to be with Tom anymore. I can't afford to stay, but I can't afford to leave, either."
Kim stopped the voice message and put his phone down, and I was frozen in numbness. Tim had tears streaming down his face, and he ran from the room, his hand over his mouth. I stared at the table, and Damian spoke. "Father... we have to get Angel out of there. She can not be there any longer, and I will not allow her to be." He said, his voice shaking with anger and something I couldn't decipher. Dick left to follow Tim, and I grabbed my phone. "Jason had to have gone after Tom. Barbra, use your phone and hack into Jason's phone. Get his location and send it to me. Stephanie, you, Cassandra, and Babs take Max, Kim, and Alix and wait for us at the hospital. Damian, grab Dick and Tim and tell them to grab their gear and meet out front. We're going to get Jason and Marinette back, and I'm putting a bullet in Tom Dupain's head. I'm going to make him regret ever laying eyes on Sabine Cheng and ever laying a finger on my kid's heads." I snarled darkly, going to my hidden safe behind a painting on the wall, opening it, and pulling out a couple of fully loaded guns.
I cocked them both and slammed the safe door shut, then stormed to the door as everyone split up to do as I told them to. Alix followed me out of the manor. "Bruce, listen. LB and is broken. She's a fallen Angel, but she is the best person in my entire life, my best friend. She has a heart of gold, and she blames herself for everything bad that happens around her, even if she has nothing to do with it. Marinette... she's just too kind, too innocent and pure for this world, and is the purest thing on this earth. Just be patient and gentle with her, okay, because Tom has broken her and stripped her of what she could be. Don't raise your voice at her, raise your hand at her, or even look at her with any kind of anger, or anything negative. She's fragile, and has been through too much that she doesn't deserve. Oh, and if you think I'm going to sit and wait at a fucking hospital, then you can get your head out of the damn ground and open your eyes, because I'm going with you. That's my little sister. One thing you should know about me is that I don't do getting told to sit on my ass while my family is in danger. Nino and Chloe would beat your ass if you told them to stay when it comes to LB, and they'd be gone before you could move to stop them. We don't fuck around when it's Marinette's life at stake. She's our little sis, our family."
She said as we arrived at my black limo, where Alfred was waiting. How does he do that? He freaking knows everything! I thought, sensing my boys run up to us. "What the hell are we still doing at the manor?! Let's fucking go get our brother and sister!!" Dick yelled, ducking into the limo. All of us followed, and Alfred sped into the night, all of us out for blood.