Fan Fiction ❯ Passion ❯ The Start of Something ( Chapter 8 )

A/N: I do not own Batman Beyond, its characters or settings. This story contains sexual content, violence, angst, and complicated adult situations. Please do not read this if you are not 18.

The rest of the night went by slowly for Terry. Bruce hadn't been in the Bat Cave when he arrived, so he'd gone straight home. He had never been able to understand women, and Lora was turning out to be more complicated then most. The problem was, he couldn't find out much about her while disguised as Batman. She maintained a forced distance with him, even after making love, and he sensed he wouldn't be able to get her to open up to him, not as long as he came to her in costume. He could understand her hesitancy to get close to him; after all, he wasn't letting her see him unmasked, so why should she share her thoughts with him?

He needed to gain her trust, and the only way to do that would be by earning it. Since he couldn't risk exposing his true identity, he had to give her the next best thing: Allen. As Allen, he was free to be himself, to show his face, to tell her his past and his dreams for the future. Hopefully, if he were open and honest with her, she would feel compelled to trust him. Which meant Allen had to start seeing her as much as possible. Content now that he had a general plan on how to get closer to Lora, Terry fell into a fitful sleep.

Terry woke up early, despite getting to bed late. He hurriedly showered and got dressed, and then headed to Donovan Hall. He wanted to get a normal relationship established with Lora as quickly as possible. Maybe then she'd let him stay the night with her, he thought with a smile. Although he doubted they'd get much sleep. He'd been ready to make love to her again before he'd even left her house. He couldn't seem to get enough of her. She was so incredibly passionate and responsive, she didn't seem to be the least bit shy when it came to sex, and he found her open behavior intoxicating. Whistling to himself, he drove to Lora's, frowning when the front gate opened to let him in again. She really did need to get that thing adjusted so it was more secure, or maybe have it replaced.

As he pulled into her driveway, he felt the familiar surge of nervousness mingled with anticipation in his stomach, making him queasy. At the same time, lust was already racing through him, heightening his senses and stiffening his groin. He was starting to get used to that, though. He always seemed to have a hard on around Lora.

He frowned when he caught sight of an enormous black truck parked in front of the house. It had huge tires, tinted windows, and chrome as far as the eye could see. Terry would bet his reputation that it belonged to a man, and jealousy ripped through him with surprising intensity. His eyes narrowed as he parked his Mercedes by the monstrous vehicle. He hesitated, wondering if he should just leave, since it was obvious she had company.

The very next instant, he was out of the car, walking to the front door. He couldn't believe she had a man over the very next day, after the incredible sex they'd had last night. Or maybe the guy hadn't come over today; maybe he'd come over after Terry had left. He really didn't know, but rage was starting to consume him, and his hand was shaking when he pounded on the front door, his temper threatening to escape his precarious control.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

Lora had just gotten out of the shower and put on her pajamas when she heard knocking at the front door. Knowing that Dane had been out late last night and was most likely still passed out only god knows where, she hurried downstairs and paused to look outside. She immediately recognized the sleek black Mercedes parked outside. It belonged to that delicious young man, Allen. She frowned; running a hand through her tangled hair, and then sighed. Why was she worrying about what she looked like right now? This man wasn't her lover.

She opened the door and smiled. "Good morning, Allen."

Terry had been in the process of raising his hand to pound on the door again, and paused in surprise, taken aback by her beauty. His penis gave her a wave of its own; though he knew she couldn't see it. He cursed, trying to rein his unruly body in as he stared at the treacherous wench. He had to look back at the black truck behind him to remember why he was angry, but once he saw it, his temper flared.

"Good morning, Mrs. Carlton. Did you have a restful night?"

Lora blushed, thinking she had slept rather well after that wonderful romp with her virile lover, but of course she wasn't going to tell Allen that. "Um, yes. What brings you here, Mr. McGinnis?"

Terry was seeing red, and it was reflected in his next words. "Just thought I'd stop by and say hi. Looks like you already have company, though. You sure do seem to draw people in."

Lora blinked, surprised and confused by his hostile tone. "What on earth are you talking about? I don't have company."

"The monster truck parked in your driveway."

Lora glanced at Dane's truck, and knew her bodyguard must have had a very wild night, because he never left his baby outside. "What about it?"

"Is it yours?"

Lora frowned at the invasiveness of those words. Allen had no right to be prying into her life. "Not that it's any of your business, but no, it's not mine."

Terry gave a curt nod, a violent burst of anger racing through him. "I thought as much."

"It belongs to my bodyguard," Lora interrupted him, wondering why he was acting so strange.

Terry stared at her, caught by surprise. He'd never noticed a bodyguard on the premises. "You have a bodyguard?"

"Yes. His name is Dane. He's been with me since I was a child," Lora answered, and then, knowing Allen was probably going to have even more questions now, she stepped back and said, "Won't you come inside?"

Her words were similar to the ones she'd said the night before, and Terry's body throbbed with desire. He gritted his teeth, caught between lust, bewilderment over the idea that she'd needed a bodyguard since childhood, and embarrassment over his own possessive behavior that he couldn't even explain to her at the moment. "Sure."

He was careful not to touch her as he walked inside, but he wanted to. God how he wanted to. But he knew if he so much as felt even an inch of her, he'd attack her like a love stricken teenager. Her house looked even larger by the light of day, very antique, despite her thoroughly modern taste in decoration. She walked down the front hall and he followed her to a bright, open room filled with hundreds of books. The library, apparently.

Lora led him to set of armchairs that had been situated before a fireplace. She sprawled down into one and then gestured at him to sit. Terry would have preferred to stand, but he knew he'd start pacing, so he sat as she'd suggested. He noticed for the first time that she was wearing her pajamas. They were pastel blue, and consisted of a tiny string tank top and a pair of baggy pants that went daringly low on her waist. Her hair was damp, and he guessed she'd just gotten out of the shower. A few choice images of her sliding her lathered hands over her supple skin came to mind, and he shifted in his chair as his erection became even more pronounced.

Lora stared at Allen, taking in his masculine beauty for several moments. Although he hadn't actually come out and said as much, she had the feeling he was attracted to her, and that his visits, while friendly, were not necessarily without purpose. She wasn't certain he had an interest in her, but his odd behavior seemed to indicate he did. It was almost as if he'd been jealous that someone else might be there with her. She found the idea to be flattering, but slightly dismaying. She already had one lover, there was no way her morals would let her have two. And an affair with this young man would undoubtedly be much more difficult to control, since he seemed to be free to stop in and visit her when ever he wished. She enjoyed her privacy very much, and Terry, with his dark costumes and fetish for bats, had a rather secretive life, making him less likely to intrude upon hers outside of the bedroom. No, lovely as Allen was, he wasn't as suitable for an affair as Terry was.

"My father hired Dane to protect me when I was still quite young. My family was influential in many circles thanks to father's advertising companies, and he had more then a few enemies. Since I was his only child, he worried that some of his less scrupulous adversaries might target me to get at him, so he found me the finest bodyguard money could buy. Dane is in excellent fighting condition, has been trained in several different fighting styles, and is proficient with countless weapons ranging from simple handguns to highly complex explosives. He's like a brother to me."

Terry watched her closely while she talked, but her expression was open and honest, she was telling him the truth. Dane was not her lover. But Terry didn't like the idea that a man was living with her. He didn't like it at all.

"Has he always lived with you?" he asked, his words sharp with the jealousy he couldn't seem to control when he was around her.

Lora frowned. "Yes. Even when I first married Maximus, Dane never left my side."

Terry's expression darkened considerably. He didn't care to discuss Lora's husband with her, ever. It only served to fuel his already raging emotions. He knew he should change the subject, before his anger got the better of him. He had no right to be possessive of her, after all. She was not his to claim, much as he wished she were. But something drove him to keep talking about the other man, to learn as much as he could about this possible threat to his conquest of Lora.

"I see. He must be very loyal to you."

"He would die for me, and I would give my life to save his," Lora said simply, her words ringing with conviction.

Terry scowled, unable to control the feeling of jealousy that raced through him at her words. She loved this Dane, apparently. True, it might just be as a brother, but Terry fiercely resented her attachment to the other man. He hadn't even met her bodyguard, and he already envied him. He had to switch topics, now, because he could feel his control slipping away, and he didn't want to cause a scene.

"I feel that way about my own brother," Terry replied, forcing himself to relax in his chair. "When I don't want to strangle him, of course."

Lora looked surprised for a moment, and then laughed. "I never had a brother or sister, I was an only child. You're lucky to have him. My childhood was very lonely," she said, and there was genuine sadness in her eyes.

Terry realized that he had somehow managed to gain access to the side of her she kept private from him as her nighttime lover, and he proceeded with caution, not wanting to cause her to raise her defensive shields. "I guess so. I do get along with Matt, for the most part. He's a teenager, though, and sometimes he gets on my nerves."

"Don't all children do that?" she asked, her voice light and teasing.

"I don't know…I like kids," Terry said, his voice thoughtful, but his eyes were filled with humor.

"So do I, as long as they show up, we play, and then they leave," Lora retorted. "I like to keep things nice, neat and simple."

Terry smiled at her, but her words had perfectly described the relationship she had with Batman, and he wondered exactly how important their relationship was to her. For him, it had already become something of an obsession.

"I see. You're a precise one, aren't you," he murmured, his gaze speculative.

Lora gave a careless shrug, but her smile slipped a little. "I guess I've learned to be. My father was always very organized, and so is my husband."

Terry grew tense at her mention of her husband again. He was dying to ask about the man, but knew it was too soon to get that personal. If he pushed too hard, he sensed she'd balk and refuse to talk anymore. "They sound a lot like Mr. Wayne. He's about as organized as it gets."

Lora laughed and winked at him. "You sound a little bitter, cutie."

Terry blinked, surprised at her teasing compliment. He stared at her for a moment, and she began to blush, as if embarrassed by what she'd said. Not wanting to stifle their growing camaraderie, he hurriedly said, "The man is a slave driver. He doesn't know the meaning of the word rest."

"Bruce?" Lora asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "He seems like a very sweet, laid back man."

"Of course he does with you," Terry grumbled, amused at the idea that anyone thought of Bruce as sweet.

"Why is that?" she asked, her curiosity evident.

"Because you're beautiful," Terry automatically answered, without thinking his words through.

Lora turned a lovely shade of pink and dropped her gaze. Terry had to restrain himself from slapping his own forehead. He couldn't believe he'd had the balls to say that. It was true, but still, he usually wasn't so brazen. She had the strangest effect on him. He watched in silence as she stared at the floor, and he began to grow increasingly nervous when she didn't speak.

Lora heard the man across form her shift in his chair, and knew he was growing uneasy. She wanted to reassure him, but she was still a little shocked by his words. He thought she was beautiful. He wasn't just saying it to be smooth, either. He'd spoken without thinking, and his compliment had been sincere. She looked up with a smile.

"You know, I haven't seen much of Gotham City yet. Would you care to take a girl sight seeing?"

Terry smiled, unable to believe the progress he was making with her. "I'd love to."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

Terry drove Lora into town and showed her all the trendy sights. She seemed particularly interested in the outdoors, but parks were scarce in Gotham, and most of them were run down and filled with vagrants. He promised to take her on a picnic at Deer Creek, which was a private park and so actually quite well maintained. Although Lora was new to the city, she quickly noticed the amount of crime it seemed to have, but he only discussed it with her briefly, not wanting to linger on a subject he had to deal with first hand every day.

Lora was an outgoing, fun loving person, and Terry found it easy to make her laugh, for she seemed to find joy in everything. Over lunch they discovered they shared many similar interests: fast cars, traveling, politics, and they even liked the same kind of ice cream. Terry, who had already become somewhat infatuated with the woman, easily succumbed to her enchanting nature, enjoying every moment with her.

Lora found Allen's sense of humor to be delightful, for he was able to handle sarcasm rather well, and knew when to use it, and when not to. He was fairly well read, and very open-minded. And he had a penchant for blurting out whatever came to mind, which she found to be utterly charming. He seemed to be completely devoid of deception, a trait she valued in people, but rarely encountered.

They were having a wonderful time when the t.v. in the restaurant suddenly switched to a story on Batman. Terry had grown used to mention of his exploits in the news, and so failed to notice when it came on, because his attention was centered on Lora. But the moment her eyes saw the picture of her lover on the television screen, all of her attention was decidedly elsewhere. She couldn't hear much of what was being said, but she could see the man quite clearly. She'd recognize that hard body anywhere. It was her lover. Apparently, he was a vigilante who went by the name Batman. That figured, considering his interest in the flying rodents. Seeing him brought to mind memories of the night before, and when she glanced at Allen, she suddenly felt acutely embarrassed and also uncomfortable, as if she were somehow betraying her lover by being with this man.

Maybe she was. She knew she was growing to like him, for Allen was a very likeable person, funny and charming. With his ability to go from serious to goofy in the blink of an eye, he reminded her of Jason, at times. Coupled with his gorgeous looks, that made him very dangerous. She reluctantly sighed and asked him to take her home.

Terry was disappointed that the day had to end, but he knew very well it couldn't last forever. He drove her home and walked her to her front door. He was startled when she hugged him, and he had to strain to control himself so that he didn't grope her. She felt amazing in his arms, and he was surprised that a simple hug could move him so much. Before he had time to ask if she'd like to go out again tomorrow, she'd walked inside and gently closed the door.

He stood outside for a moment, debating what to do next. He couldn't knock now and ask her to go. That would seem too pushy. Maybe he could stop by tomorrow before going to Wayne Manor, and-

Terry suddenly gasped and ran to the car as he realized he'd never bothered checking in with Bruce this morning. He'd gone over to Lora's first thing, and since they'd driven into Gotham, he'd completely forgotten about his training session. The old man was going to murder him.