Win Wayne

Until now, Tim didn't know whether the choice he made was right or wrong.

Staying up late is addictive. He has worked continuously for more than 72 hours, and his mind is still nervously awake, but his body can no longer bear such a burden.

The laptop is still closed, and the 72-hour effort is still in vain.

Tim picked up the espresso and took a sip, until the coffee slid into his stomach for a long time, before his numb tongue tasted a bit of mellowness and bitterness.

Bruce is in a bad state, not just Bruce, the whole family is in a bad state of mind.

Everyone is suffering and blaming themselves, and all the time outside of the task is spent looking for Wendy. They hold hope again and again, but are disappointed again and again... Maybe they behaved too wrongly, even the other Chaoying has joined the ranks of the search.

The door was pushed open suddenly, and Tim was startled, subconsciously going to lie back and pretend to be asleep.

"Stop pretending," the visitor shuffled to the desk and sat down, the frustration in his voice could not be concealed no matter how forced he was, "I know you must not be asleep yet."

"Dick," Tim said.

"You know what I'm thinking right now?" Dick said almost to himself, "I'm thinking...why didn't I go to Wendy when she ran away this time? Why did she run away in the past? At that time, I didn't seriously persuade her, I heard her say why she was so unhappy? Why..."

Why did he never ask Wendy why he suddenly broke up with him.

Tim sighed, and it came out of the depths of his chest: "Dick, stop talking, it's not your fault."

"This is my fault." Wiping his face, he smiled wryly, "I should be...I should be the one who understands her thoughts best, but I don't seem to understand what she is thinking."

Tim knew what Dick was referring to.

That was the family secret: Dick had had a brief, passionate affair with Wendy.

Before Dick left home and the first generation of Robin flew solo to become Nightwing, Bruce and Dick had the most intense quarrel. The core of their quarrel was Wendy. Dick was even broken by an angry old father Bruce. .

Tim said that Dick's matter was too unreasonable. Wendy was only 14 years old, and although Dick was not very old, he was still nineteen.

The whole family knew about Wendy's promiscuity. To be honest, this level of promiscuity was really nothing.

Before being with Dick, Wendy dated all girls in high society. Apart from this aspect, Wendy has no other bad habits at all.

Of course it's not good to be promiscuous.

But Wendy's psychological burden is too heavy. Compared with drinking, taking drugs or other excessive ways of venting, this little hobby is actually tacitly approved by Bruce.

Bruce doesn't ask for anything from Wendy, he just wants this delicate daughter to be happier, to stay away from their "night business" and away from all the dark sides of Gotham.

Regarding the previous entanglement between Dick and Wendy, Bruce wasn't angry that they were together, he was angry that Dick had no self-control!

He was even angrier that both Dick and Wendy were hiding it from him!

As for the others, they are all trivial matters.

"We all know why Wendy is always unhappy." Tim said calmly.

"...That's right." Dick said wistfully, "We all know, we just... Even if we knew, we would pretend to be deaf and dumb."

"Even if you are at fault, it is not your fault alone." Tim analyzed, "Wendy is not like us, her psychology is too fragile, she cannot bear these truths. Compared with the pressure she bears, obviously, It's more important to be alive."

"When we..." Dick blurted out the word "together," "she knocked me around a lot, wondering if there was something in the house that she didn't know about. Sometimes I thought she had found out about us. It's a secret, but the direction of her guess seems to be completely opposite to the truth."

Tim paused and couldn't help being curious: "What did she guess?"

"She thought Bruce was secretly supporting the underworld in Gotham," Dick said, "and us adopted children were recruited by Bruce, like the family history mafia."

Tim was in a strange mood, because after thinking about the logic of this reasoning, it actually made perfect sense?

"How did you answer her?"

"I said there was no such thing at all, our family has nothing to do with the underworld at all, so let her stop thinking about it." Dick paused, "There were times when I almost told her the truth."

"..."

"She wasn't angry, but I could feel that she was very disappointed in me." Dick stared at the front in confusion, "I still can't help but think, why is she so merciless? Why is she so unilateral, Without any warning, without looking back..."

Tim felt a subtle sourness in his heart.

"You should tell her," he said.

"I don't know what to do, it seems like it's the wrong thing to do. We try our best to make her feel at ease, but in the end, what we're hiding is the thing that worries her the most." Dick's Emotions Still depressed, "Do you know this feeling, that is, everyone has good intentions and no malicious intentions, but in the end what we did was all concealment and deception, and everything was pushing her away .”

"That's why I said we should tell her the truth," Tim said. "But Bruce won't let it. He can't stand Wendy not being safe enough."

Dick suddenly asked, "Have you tried to tell Wendy?"

Tim flinched.

"Every time Wendy ran away from home, you helped me." Dick smiled, "We all know that Wendy targeted you for a long time when you first joined this family. Bruce and Jason have always thought that you and Wendy You have a bad relationship with Wendy, and you don't like Wendy too much...but I know it's not like that."

Tim pursed his lips, the sequelae of being sleepless for 72 hours seemed to come up, and his brain was dizzy for a while.

"I... didn't tell her." He said softly, "although I wanted to tell her very much."

But what Wendy wants most is not the truth from another person, what Wendy wants is the confession from her father.

What she wanted to know was why her father wouldn't let her go back to Gotham no matter how hard she tried, why he wouldn't let her work at the Wayne Corporation no matter how good she was.

Dick was silent for a long time, and suddenly he let out a sigh of relief.

"There's one thing you don't know," he said, "Jason doesn't know either. I should tell Jason later, when he calms down."

"Wendy was kidnapped for the first time when she was almost five years old..."

Bruce flipped through the photo album.

He kept all the pictures of Wendy, and even every medical examination image before Wendy was born, Wendy's mother's swollen belly.

Wendy's birth was an accident, of course, the most wonderful kind of accident.Bruce Wayne's external image is a playboy, but occasionally, he will maintain a long-term relationship with a pleasant woman.

Wendy's mother is a ballet dancer, and she got pregnant unexpectedly not long after they got together, because the early reaction was very small, and Wendy's mother didn't stop menstruation, but her blood volume decreased, so when they found Wendy, Wendy Already three or four months old.

Bruce was far from ready to become a father, but with mixed feelings, he was still actively preparing for Wendy's arrival.

But Wendy's mother suffered from severe depression during pregnancy. She was a sensitive woman and a ballet dancer. The point where the seven month old committed suicide.

It's cool to say that, but Bruce is glad she chose to cut her wrists instead of some other way that might hurt Wendy.

Wendy's mother failed to be rescued, but Wendy was taken out by caesarean section and survived successfully.

The first time Bruce saw Wendy was a crumpled red baby in the incubator, breathing hard on a ventilator.

...so small, so fragile.

And this impression never left. Wendy lived in the intensive care unit almost before she was one year old, and various complications tortured her to be extremely weak. The doctor even gently reminded Bruce that Wendy was very likely to have some IQ increase. The problem.

Fortunately, after Wendy was two years old, this situation has greatly improved. Her body has gradually improved, her personality has become more lively, she is enthusiastic and loves to laugh, she is very curious, and she is extremely dependent on Bruce, her father.

everything is fine.

It wasn't until Wendy was almost five years old that Bruce thought it was time for Wendy to get in touch with the outside world.He took Wendy out, invited some acquaintances to a party, and made a special note asking them to bring their children.Their kids are all around Wendy's age, and Bruce thinks maybe Wendy could make a friend or two.

But at this party, Bruce received news that the Mad Hatter was planning to destroy Gotham with poison gas.

He had to hastily find an excuse to leave the party, but Wendy didn't want to.

It was the first time for her to get along with her peers, and she was having fun with her companions. She begged Bruce to let her stay, and the invited guests promised to take good care of Wendy, and the bodyguards and nannies were all there. After a brief hesitation, Bruce succumbed to Wendy's sweet coquetry.

They agreed on a time.

But when Bruce finished dealing with the Mad Hatter and returned to the party, he found that the place was already in chaos.Wendy disappeared. She left by herself. According to the video, she was not coerced, but was attracted by something and left the room voluntarily.

He shouldn't have left so relieved.

Wendy is only four years old!

But it's too late to regret, the most urgent thing is to find the missing Wendy immediately, Bruce is very restless, he doesn't know what is waiting for Wendy, waiting for him, he only knows that he must find his daughter immediately...

Batman didn't make a mistake in this matter. In fact, he found Wendy faster than he thought, and there was no hidden conspiracy in this matter.

It's just a waiter who suddenly saw money, seduced and kidnapped the daughter of Gotham's richest man on a whim, trying to extort a lot of protection money from him.

Wendy didn't suffer any physical torture, and the waiter didn't dare to torture her. He only wanted to ask for money, and he didn't want to meet the wrath of Bruce Wayne.

But he, who was seriously inexperienced in kidnapping, made a fatal mistake. He locked Wendy, a little girl who was only four years old, in the trunk of the car for several hours, in order to prevent Wendy from crying and struggling to attract attention. , He also tied Wendy's hands and feet, and gagged Wendy's mouth.

Wendy, who was rescued, had serious sequelae. She began to fear claustrophobic and dark spaces, and refused to contact the outside world.

Child psychologists can only advise Bruce to take care of Wendy with more company and patience, but this happens to be something Bruce cannot do.

He doesn't have so much time and energy for Wendy, he... wants to protect his city.

Of course, Bruce also took time to accompany Wendy as much as possible. He reduced the time and frequency of making public appearances, and stayed by Wendy's side more. After Wendy's mood gradually stabilized, he took Wendy out. , gradually dispelling Wendy's fear of the outside world.

She was still a child after all, and her playful nature took over, and he used this to coax Wendy into going out.

He took Wendy to visit the botanical garden and zoo, and to the playground—but Wendy refused to leave him at all, clutching his fingers from beginning to end, refusing to play entertainment, Bruce took Wendy again Dee went to the circus.

Tragedy struck the "Flying Graysons" family.

... Right in front of Wendy.

The dark red blood pooled under the body, and Bruce's reaction was extremely fast, but his hands still couldn't cover the death.

Wendy passed out.

How chaotic the situation after that, even Bruce can't remember.

After he went home with Wendy in his arms, he was severely criticized by Alfred. This was the first time the old butler got so angry. In the past, even if he had any dissatisfaction with Bruce, he usually used his mouth. With a standard British accent, it was just a few words of cynicism in a very British style.

But this time he's almost literally berating Bruce.

A child psychologist makes a proposal that Bruce is very resistant to.

"Sorry, Mr. Wayne, but I don't think Miss Wendy's situation is suitable for staying in Gotham." The other party said politely, "You can't prevent Miss Wendy from encountering similar things again, I suggest you send her to another Go to study somewhere, and wait for her mental state to stabilize before transferring back to Gotham."

"But you also said before that you want me to give her more company."

"But it's not enough just to be accompanied by her father. She also needs someone who can play the role of mother. In fact, what she needs more is the company of her mother, an environment that allows her to blend in, and normal communication among peers. "The closed environment was not good for her mental health," the expert said.

After much deliberation, Bruce decided to wait another year.

It was during this time that he adopted Dick Grayson, a boy who had lost his parents.

At first Bruce was worried that Wendy would hate Dick, but Wendy knew that the people who died that day were Dick's parents, and she was full of sympathy for Dick, and Dick couldn't refuse the kindness that such a young girl showed him.

They got along pretty well, and with Dick's company, Wendy's mood has stabilized a lot.

Although the phobia is still there, and she started to faint again.

But Bruce thought, maybe it's fine for Wendy to stay in Gotham.

What changed his mind was the question Wendy finally asked.

"Daddy," his little daughter whispered in his ear, "where's my mother?"

she passed away.

suicide.

She even tries to leave this world with you.

Bruce said, "...she's not in this world anymore, Wendy."

"Like Dick's parents?"

"...that's not something you should think about, dear."

"Dick told me about his parents and I wanted to know where my mum was too."

Bruce stroked Wendy's head and said slowly, "...do you want to make some friends, Wendy?"

"Dick is my friend."

Bruce smiled. "Of course he's your friend, but he's your brother first. I mean, do you want to go to school?"

This time Wendy was silent for a while.

She replied: "...I, I don't want to go to school."

"Your mother was a very good ballet dancer, dear, very good, and you may have inherited her talent as well," Bruce said. "Would you like to see how she dances?"

"……it is good."

They watched the past videos together. The beauty of the ballet was shown in the camera. Wendy was gradually fascinated by it. The beautiful woman on the screen Wendy had never seen before, but she said: "She seems a little look familiar."

"is it?"

Wendy said in her immature voice: "I think, I think——where have I seen her."

Bruce finally made up his mind.

"You can be an excellent ballet dancer too, Wendy, your skeleton is very suitable for ballet dancing. Do you want to be a ballet dancer like your mother?"

"...I don't know." Wendy didn't take her eyes off the screen, her expression was filled with fear and joy, "But I, maybe I can give it a try."

This is the first time Wendy let go of school matters.

"So would you like to go to your mother's old school?" Bruce asked patiently.

Wendy didn't answer at first.

But she became more than happy to watch Mom's tapes with Bruce, Mom's past performances, and Mom's old training videos.A group of young and beautiful girls are laughing and doing exercises in tights. Their arms are weak and boneless, and they seem to be able to speak a thousand words.

Bruce asked her again: "Would you like to go to your mother's old school?"

"But," Wendy said, "but Mom is from Great Britain, and she's studying in Great Britain."

"It won't be very far." Bruce said lightly, "It's a short flight away."

Wendy clenched her jaw and said nothing.

"If you don't want to go so far, maybe we can find another ballet school in China." Bruce said deliberately, "but this school is the best. Would you like to go to a school that is not as good as it is?"

"No!" Wendy objected as expected, "No!"

"Would you like to go to Great Britain then? To your mother's school?"

Wendy stared at the screen steadfastly, the beautiful girl smiled and leaned back, as relaxed as if she raised her hand to tickle herself.

Just when Bruce thought he wouldn't get any answer this time, he heard Wendy say:

"……it is good."

Bruce sent Wendy to Great Britain. The school welcomed Wendy very much. After all, Wendy's mother was once the best ballet dancer trained by this school. Her death still brings tears to the eyes of the teacher who once taught this girl. .

The school really took good care of Wendy.

Wendy also really made friends. When she returned home during the holidays, her smiles became more and more vivid, and her eyes became more and more lively.

Bruce deeply believed that he had made the right decision. The city where the school was located was not as rich in lunatics and psychopaths as Gotham. In addition, Alfred used his relationship to contact several old friends there. , even if something happened to Wendy, they promised that they would respond immediately.

In the beginning, Bruce would spend a lot of time on Wendy.

But what happened in Gotham made him physically and mentally exhausted, and Dick became his assistant, and he had to train Dick. Gradually, he seemed powerless when chatting with Wendy.

Wendy has been a sensitive and considerate child since she was a child. After realizing her father's fatigue, she took the initiative to reduce contact and ensured that she was doing well, and asked Bruce not to worry about her.

I don't know when it started, Wendy stopped calling him "Dad".

Instead, when he dragged his wounded body to meet Wendy again, but was almost an hour late, Wendy smiled and said, "You're here, father."

This word is unfamiliar and standard, and Wendy's smile is perfect like a lady of high society.

The kind with old-fashioned style and strict family rules.

Bruce is slow to realize the disadvantages of sending his daughter to another country. Of course, he can get to know Wendy through various channels. He knows what Wendy eats every day, and knows how Wendy is in a good or bad mood recently. He can get it every day. Wendy's training video.

He had read Wendy's report card and her exam papers, and cared about them all.

But Wendy didn't know it.

She had no idea what her father had done for her. Even when she went home during the holidays, she could only see her father's wandering life, his early leave and late return, and his disappearance for no reason.

And the strange rapport between father and Dick.

Bruce didn't know if this development was what he wanted, but Wendy's health was obvious. The ballet training was very intensive, but she was able to persevere.

She was beautiful when she danced, far better than her mother.

Wendy is more talented than Bruce imagined, and the teachers at the school are full of praise for her.

At this time, Wendy had only been studying in Great Britain for three years.

Bruce knew that he couldn't wait any longer, Wendy was recovering well, maybe it was time to take her back to Gotham, for ballet training, he could definitely hire someone else to give Wendy one-on-one tutoring.

But the accident happened again.

This accident broke all of Bruce's plans, and further aggravated Wendy's psychological problems. This time, the problems even made Bruce feel scared.

Not only fear of more pain that Wendy may encounter, but also fear of...

"...The kidnapping at the age of five actually didn't have too many sequelae." Dick's voice was low and out of character. "What really made her condition worse was her second kidnapping."